《Versatile Mage Rewritten (((Discontinued)))》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 1)


    Mo Fan, a regular middle school student, quickly awoke to the incessant ringing of the alarm clock beside him on his nightstand.


    ¡°Uwah¡­ Another morning.¡±


    He let out a light yawn as he turned it off and massaged his face to help combat the drowsiness and anxiety, not at all happy after remembering how his worst nightmare came to life just the day before.


    ¡°What high school am I going to? What do I want to do in the future?¡±


    Mo Fan finished dressing up for school and moved into the kitchen to eat breakfast when he recalled the words his teacher and father independently asked him. They weren¡¯t unusual questions, on the contrary, he was expected to have the answers to them. Yet, like a lot of kids his age, Mo Fan felt lost. He neither had obvious talents and interests he could pursue in a career, nor did he have a good sense for planning the future.


    That wasn¡¯t to say he didn¡¯t work hard. No, Mo Fan put plenty of effort into his studies. So much, in fact, that it boggled him as to why his grades were so low! He didn¡¯t understand how he could put in so much work, but get out so little reward!


    ¡°With my current grades¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get into any high school.¡±


    Usually, Mo Fan¡¯s father tried to cheer him up when he felt down, even if it was his own question regarding Mo Fan¡¯s plans for the future that troubled him. However, Mo Fan¡¯s father had been terribly busy working days and nights just to put food on the table. It wasn¡¯t anything surprising when Mo Fan found a sheet of paper hanging on the fridge door reading, ¡°Son, dad has some work to do. I won¡¯t be making it home tonight. Take care of yourself. Love, Mo Jia Xing¡±


    Even after reaching his class was he plagued with the same worries and insecurities.


    *¡°I think my life was fated to be like this.¡±*


    At the front of the class, answering questions on the chalkboard, was Mu Bai, whose family was a branch of the Mu family. He was born into a wealthy family and very intelligent, achieving high grades.


    *¡°What a lucky guy. Only people like him are worth talking about the future with.¡±*


    Mo Fan¡¯s daydreams were interrupted when his teacher announced to the class, ¡°Ten days till finals. There will be no class this afternoon. Be sure to go home and study.¡± before dismissing them.


    Relieved at the dismissal, Mo Fan began packing his school supplies into his bag when a student approached his desk.


    ¡°Brother Fan, let¡¯s go play League of Legends!¡±


    Mo Fan smiled at the offer, happy to know his friend thought of him, but politely declined.


    ¡°Sorry, but I already promised Old Man Ying that I was gonna go visit him.¡±


    Then, from a few seats ahead, Mo Fan heard, ¡°That¡¯s right, spend your time playing videogames! With those test scores? HA! You¡¯d be wasting your time studying. There isn¡¯t a high school in existence who¡¯s going to accept you! You¡¯re probably going to end up working for Mu Bai.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Kun San, you¡­!¡±


    Zhao Kun San, one of Mu Bai¡¯s sycophants, happily mocked Mo Fan from his seat. Mo Fan¡¯s friend couldn¡¯t contain his anger as he began marching towards the chubby kid, ready to start something if it meant teaching him a lesson and defending his friend¡¯s honor.


    ¡°Xiao Hou, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    However, Mo Fan¡¯s hand firmly gripped Xiao Hou¡¯s shoulder, preventing him from moving.


    ¡°Brother Fan?¡±


    Xiao Hou¡¯s fists unclenched as Mo Fan stepped forward, ignoring Zhao Kun San and Mu Bai as he walked past them, heading towards the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not bother with these guys. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mo Fan and Xiao Hou left the classroom with Zhao Kun San and Mu Bai eyeing them the entire way, wondering how he could keep his cool while being insulted.


    ¡­¡­


    Later that day, Mo Fan found himself walking up a mountain on worn cobblestone steps, surrounded by beautiful, lush foliage as a fresh breeze gently caressed his face and sunlight shone through the numerous leaves of the towering trees around him. It evoked quite the surreal feeling.


    *¡°I¡¯m so jealous of this old man¡­ It¡¯d be awesome if I could live in such a carefree environment.¡±*


    At the top of the stairs was a quaint and simple wooden home that carried with it an ancient impression. When he arrived at the door, Mo Fan casually opened it and called out, ¡°Old man, I¡¯m here!¡±


    Yet, instead of the usual greeting full of elderly kindness, Mo Fan heard a raspy and pained voice so soft it sounded like a whisper.


    ¡°Young¡­youngster, come¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m in the back...¡±


    Immediately, Mo Fan dropped all nonchalance as he charged through the house until he reached a door which led to the backyard. There, Mo Fan¡¯s heart ached at the sight of Old Man Ying struggling to hold himself up with his cane.


    ¡°OLD MAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! DON¡¯T MOVE! I¡¯LL HELP YOU!¡±


    Mo Fan assisted the trembling old man to his bedroom, where he laid him down and brought him a drink.


    ¡°Here, drink some water.¡±


    The old man shakily accepted the glass and took a sip, taking a few minutes to recover enough to speak.


    ¡°Thank you, Mo Fan. If you didn¡¯t arrive when you did¡­¡±


    He lowered the water and let out a weak sigh.


    ¡°Mo Fan, I have no one else. You¡¯re the only one who cares about this sack of bones and keeps me company. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Old man, what are you talking about? I enjoy hearing your stories. All that stuff about a parallel world of magic? It¡¯s very interesting¡­¡± Mo Fan¡¯s voice came out a bit shaky toward the end, fear taking root in his mind.


    ¡°Uuggggghhhh¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s body shook as he was taken over by a fit of violent coughs, causing his glass of water to spill everywhere.


    ¡°Old man! Speak to me! What¡¯s wrong?! How can I help?!¡±


    Terror overwhelmed Mo Fan as he didn¡¯t know what to do. The man in front of him, who often treated him like his own grandson, was in terrible pain, the sight of which gnawed at Mo Fan¡¯s heart. What could he do?The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I wo¡­I won¡¯t make it.¡± The old man¡¯s sad voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion as if he were speaking a fact.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡± Mo Fan no longer had control over himself as his voice cracked and tears threatened to spill. ¡°I, I still want to hear your stories!¡±


    Finally, a scrap of reason surfaced in Mo Fan¡¯s mind as he turned to find a phone.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this! I¡¯m calling an ambulance!¡±


    Yet, before Mo Fan could take a single step away, the old man¡¯s hand grabbed his arm, summoning strength from who-knows-where to pull Mo Fan back.


    ¡°Take this¡­ Always keep it with you¡­¡±


    The old man had even coughed up blood, but he managed to remove the pendant from around his neck and firmly place it in Mo Fan¡¯s hand¡­before losing all his strength and collapsing back into his bed.


    ¡°Old man¡­¡±


    Tears fell from Mo Fan¡¯s face as he still held onto the old man¡¯s hand, unwilling to accept the reality before him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already¡­prepared the grave. Remember¡­to¡­bury me on¡­¡±


    ¡°No! Please, don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    ¡°¡­the mountain.¡±


    It was Mo Fan¡¯s turn to collapse as he fell to his knees and laid his head on the old man¡¯s bed, having trouble breathing through the tears he wept for the beloved grandfather figure that left him.


    ¡­¡­


    It was nightfall, and Mo Fan sullenly laid on his bed, hoping to sleep away his sorrows.


    A few hours before, after Old Man Ying asked Mo Yan to bury him on the mountain, Mo Fan took a long time to collect himself. Needless to say, he was shocked, even to the point of checking the body¡¯s pulse and breath countless times before giving up.


    Wanting to honor the old man¡¯s wishes, Mo Fan placed the body in the casket he found below a particularly beautiful tree around the house, and buried it. The entire incident weighed heavily on Mo Fan¡¯s mind and he didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore for the day, lest crumble beneath his heartache. He¡¯d already fulfilled the old man¡¯s wish of burying him on the mountain, but that didn¡¯t mean everything would be alright. Mo Fan knew he had to let the authorities or something know about the death, so he¡¯d decided to talk to his father about the situation the next day.


    ¡°This pendant¡­¡±


    In Mo Fan¡¯s hand was wrapped a strip of silk with a pendant in the shape of a curled up wingless dragon attached. The necklace Old Man Ying left him.


    ¡°He always said this pendant is a divine artifact a few thousand years old. No matter how I look at it, there¡¯s no way it¡¯s that old.¡±


    The pendant caused the memories of the dying old man to resurface, threatening to resume his sobs from before, so he put it around his neck and turned off his bed lamp.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to dad about what to do. Till then¡­¡±


    Until then, he really needed to sleep¡­


    ¡­¡­


    That morning, Mo Fan awoke to find his face a mess. He¡¯d washed up after his crying, but it looked as though he¡¯d cried again in his sleep. He didn¡¯t find it too unlikely.


    Mo Fan searched his tiny apartment for his father, but was met with an empty home. It took him a few seconds to remember the note his father left saying he wouldn¡¯t return that night.


    Suddenly, Mo Fan¡¯s stomach rumbled, startling him for a second.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t eat yesterday¡­ I couldn¡¯t eat.¡±


    He sighed, keeping his composure, knowing that crying over the past would do him no good¡­would do Old Man Ying no good.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get something at the food stall again.¡±


    Mo Fan hadn¡¯t even taken three steps out his door before he heard people yelling, saw a flash of green light barrel down the street, and felt a soft gust of wind slap him.


    ¡°Race you to work!¡±


    ¡°No fair! Of course you¡¯re faster! You¡¯re a wind mage!¡±


    Mo Fan stood at his door front, paralyzed, watching as a man in business attire sped down the street faster than a bicycle to catch up with the green light.


    *¡°What the hell is going on?! I must be hallucinating due to hunger¡­¡±*


    Choosing to ignore what he just saw, Mo Fan broke into a nervous jog as he also traveled down the street.


    *¡°That was all in my head. It must be because of grief, how I haven¡¯t gotten over Old Man Ying¡­yeah.¡±*


    Eventually, Mo Fan crossed a street corner to arrive at the food stall he was often a patron of.


    *¡°Yes! The breakfast stand is still there.¡±*


    Happy to see that the line wasn¡¯t too long, Mo Fan didn¡¯t notice the commotion surrounding the stall until he was closer.


    ¡°Hey, can you still make it or not? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll find another stand.¡±


    Seeing that the man at the head of the line was arguing with the stand owner, who he was decently acquainted with, Mo Fan approached them to inquire about the situation.


    ¡°What happened, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Morning, Mo Fan. I just need a magician. Even if they¡¯re a beginner, I just need someone.¡±


    Taken aback, Mo Fan replied, ¡°What? What did you say? I think your brain isn¡¯t working right¡­¡±


    Annoyed at the response, the stand owner asked, ¡°What did you just say, kid? I¡¯ve always treated you right! What¡¯s with that attitude?¡± Then he motioned to his cooking utensils. ¡°See, my stove and grill aren¡¯t working right. How am I supposed to do business?¡±


    Before Mo Fan could even process his unintelligible words, people in line began speaking up.


    ¡°Is there only one breakfast stand around here? I¡¯m gonna be late to work.¡±


    ¡°Normal people like us can¡¯t live without the help of magicians.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even if a mage comes through, what¡¯s to say they¡¯ll know what wrong with your equipment?¡±


    ¡°Too bad. I know a magician, but she¡¯s not around here at the moment.¡±


    Mo Fan was only further baffled by the responses of the crowd, wondering if he was witnessing an elaborate prank being conducted.


    ¡°Excuse me, excuse me, coming through. Let me take a look.¡±


    Eventually, a familiar middle-aged man whose hair was quickly receding maneuvered his way through the crowd of bystanders which had gathered.


    *¡°Isn¡¯t that my physics teacher, Hu Duan Chang? Finally! A normal person!¡±*


    ¡°Mr. Hu!¡± Mo Fan waved towards his teacher, drawing his attention. ¡°The owner of this breakfast stand said that his stove broke. Can you take a look at it?¡± Then, he snarkily thought, *¡±And maybe fix his brain while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Mo Fan, you¡¯re here too? I was just coming over to see if I could fix it.¡± Seeming to remember something, Mr. Hu then asked, ¡°Oh right, did you finish the magic theory homework I assigned yesterday? I¡¯m going to use questions from the reading for today¡¯s test.¡±


    Hit with yet another shock, Mo Fan thought, *¡±Ma¡­magic theory?! Faraday and Maxwell are going to jump out of their graves!¡±*


    While Mo Fan stood to the side dumbfounded, the breakfast stand owner gave his thanks to Mr. Hu.


    ¡°Thank you so much! You saved me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I may be a fire type magician, but it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve tinkered with anything. I might not be able to figure out what¡¯s wrong, but I¡¯ll give it my all.¡± Then, Mr. Hu turned towards Mo Fan. ¡°Watch carefully, in case you ever become a magician.¡±


    Mr. Hu bent down to place his right hand on the grill before he took a second to concentrate. Suddenly, a red light shone softly from his fingers, wrapping the grill and entering its crevices. A few moments later, he smiled, then retracted the light and stood up.


    ¡°Try turning it on now.¡±


    The breakfast stand owner excitedly smiled as he moved to flip a switch. Immediately after, a red glow sprouted from the grill, transforming into a small flame and causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. Watching the work of mages was always interesting to normal folk, even if it was only fixing some equipment.


    Mr. Hu explained to the stand owner, ¡°You must have dropped it or something, because the only problem was that a magical power circuit wasn¡¯t completely aligned. I only used my own energy to push it into place. Nothing but a small issue.¡±


    A look of understanding passed over the breakfast stand owner as he remembered the incident that likely resulted in the issue.


    *¡±W-what¡¯d he do? Did he do anything at all? What was that light?!¡±*


    But Mo Fan didn¡¯t understand what happened at all, and his face gave it away.


    Noticing the unusual expression, Mr. Hu put a hand on Mo Fan¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Mo Fan, did you stay up all night studying? You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, yes! Of course! I know I¡¯m not that smart, so I study extra hard to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho, that¡¯s the spirit! Instead of wallowing in self-pity, just put more effort into it! However, you can¡¯t let yourself get sick from lack of rest, Mo Fan. It¡¯s almost time for finals, and you should be careful with your health.¡±


    Mr. Hu patted Mo Fan¡¯s shoulder a few times before turning to leave.


    ¡°I still have to prepare my Introduction to Magic PowerPoint. Good luck with your studies, Mo Fan.¡±


    ¡°See you later, Mr. Hu¡­¡±


    Mr. Hu having left, Mo Fan was left alone with his thoughts as he dazedly went on his way to school.


    *¡°Could it be that I¡¯m in the magic world Old Man Ying spoke of? Is this real?!¡±*


    Mo Fan had difficulty doubting what he¡¯d seen with his own two eyes that day. First, two people sped past him on foot at impossible speeds, then, he witnessed Mr. Hu exuding a red glow to fix a magical tool?


    *¡±What next? Will I happen upon a magician¡¯s duel in which wizards cast spells at each other?!¡±


    Just as Mo Fan thought that, he passed a street corner which was being newly paved¡­by magicians. Mo Fan¡¯s eyes did not deceive him as he watched a group of people controlling asphalt through the air as they laid it in place on the ground.


    *¡±Looks like I¡¯m really in the magical world.¡±*


    Giving up his doubts after watching workers use magic to pave a street, Mo Fan patted the sides of his face to regain focus.


    *¡±Well, it doesn¡¯t seem that bad. Heh, now that I think about it, the result of the math test is coming out today. Thanks to this magic world, I dodged a bullet! Haha.¡±*


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°This is really worrisome. Finals are just around the corner, and Mo Fan scored a 6% on his Magic Star Path Alignment Test. Come up to take your test.¡±


    Mo Fan was filled with yet another round of shock and distress as he shakily rose from his desk to take back his test.


    *¡±WHAT THE FUCK?! I¡¯M TRASH IN THIS WORLD, TOO?!¡±*

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 2)


    ¡°Ah, Mo Fan, take advantage of the several days before testing, otherwise you will only accomplish a mere fraction of Mu Bai¡¯s score on the exam.¡±


    While teaching, Mo Fan¡¯s teacher went out of his way to lecture Mo Fan on his results, clearly unhappy with the scores of his tests. Of course, Mu Bai¡¯s sycophant had to take advantage of the situation to apply salt to the wound.


    ¡°Mo Fan, meaning ¡®fine example¡¯, huh? I wonder if your father picked out the wrong name for you, right? If anyone followed your example, they¡¯d find themselves in ruin! Wouldn¡¯t it be better to change your name?¡±


    Mu Bai said nothing, but the smirk on his face made it clear what his opinion of the matter was.


    ¡°Zhou Kun San! Don¡¯t speak like that to Brother Fan!¡± Xiao Hou then turned to Mo Fan with admiration in his eyes. ¡°Brother Fan, just as expected of someone so levelheaded, you don¡¯t get angry!¡±


    To which Mo Fan replied, ¡°Humph! They¡¯re being childish. No need to pay them any attention.¡±


    *¡±After I understand this world, THEN we will see who has the last laugh!¡±*


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°All right, class. This is it for today. Everyone, remember to review all the important parts of the examination several times!¡±


    Dismissed from class, Mo Fan and Xiao Hou were on their way home when Mo Fan asked, ¡°Xiao Hou, where is the school library?¡±


    ¡°Library? Ah, it¡¯s right over there.¡± He pointed somewhere to their right. ¡°Brother Fan, you aren¡¯t ill, right?¡±


    Ignoring the sarcastic question, Mo Fan went on his way. ¡°Thank you. I want to check some information. You can go home without me.¡±


    Xiao Hou was left confused, wondering to himself why Mo Fan would possibly want to go to the library. Xiao Hou didn¡¯t believe that Mo Fan actually studied very hard, as was expected when Mo Fan had such low scores.


    ¡°Check some information? Seriously?¡± Xiao Hou whispered to himself. ¡°I doubt that Zhao Kun San angered Mo Fan enough that he¡¯d want to become super studious¡­¡±


    Yet, contrary to Xiao Hou¡¯s belief, not only did Mo Fan study a lot, but he was going to the library for that exact purpose! However, not to study for the exams.


    ¡°History of magic laws¡­¡±


    Mo Fan sat himself down at a table within the library with a stack of books he found pertaining to the world¡¯s history and how magic affected it.


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    *¡±I see now. This society has divided the people into two groups: magicians and ordinary citizens. The normal people are responsible for most mundane affairs like the production of goods while magicians are required to protect everyone from invasion and harm, maintaining order all over the world. Magicians are considered the heroes of this world.¡±*


    Mo Fan then looked into the requirements of becoming a mage.


    *¡±As expected, I need this so-called ¡®magic awakening¡¯, which can only occur at high school age if I have the talent for magic. Not just anyone can become a magician.¡±*


    Mo Fan was almost discouraged after reading that few people of the total population have the talent to go through their magic awakening, until he remembered his own circumstances.


    *¡±That¡¯s right! I¡¯m special! Since I¡¯m not from this world and was brought here by what seems to be Old Man Ying¡¯s heavenly treasure, there¡¯s actually little chance that I DON¡¯T have the talent for magic!¡±*


    His spirit invigorated, Mo Fan read on.


    *¡±So, a person can only awaken one power, different people will awaken different powers, and most magicians awaken one of the natural elements, for example, wind, fire, light, lightning, ice, or earth. And there are elements like summoning, too? Interesting.¡±*


    Mo Fan took in a deep breath, arranging his thoughts as he returned the books to their shelves.


    *¡±Right now, there are really only three obstacles to becoming a real magic-wielding mage! First, I need the talent for magic, which I probably already have since I was transported to this world. Second, I need to keep up with the magician classes in high school¡­ I can only hope that I will. Third and most importantly¡­high school for magicians is expensive, and money is something my dad doesn¡¯t have much of. What will I do?¡±*


    Mo Fan contemplated working, but even if he could somehow earn enough to cover the school expenses, would he be able to earn it before the window of time for his magic awakening closed? Unlikely.


    ¡°Oh, man. If I waste Old Man Ying¡¯s gift of sending me here, could I ever forgive myself?¡±


    Mo Fan returned to the library desk, sitting in the chair and slumping over as he evaluated his future.


    *¡±I can¡¯t waste Old Man Ying¡¯s gift. No way will I waste it.¡±*


    He sighed. ¡°Old Man Ying¡­¡±


    Then, just as he felt tears gathering in his eyes, Mo Fan shouted, ¡°Old Man Ying!¡± startling other students in the library. Mo Fan wasted no time as he sped out the library and school as fast as his legs could take him.


    *¡±Could it be, Old Man Ying¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan ran even beyond the point his body allowed, forcing his muscles to take him forward until his eyes rested upon a very familiar mountain. Cobblestone step by cobblestone step, Mo Fan ignored the screams of his aching legs and burning lungs.


    He had to know. No matter the price.


    After what felt like an eternity, Mo Fan was met with¡­a clearing in the trees. Untouched, as though humans had never walked the Earth, the forest on the mountain had not a single sign of the wooden house which Mo Fan had grown to love.


    ¡°Old Man¡­Ying.¡±


    For the third time, Mo Fan¡¯s eyes released cascades of tears as he fell to the ground, hands on his knees, kneeling in a seiza. Then, he kowtowed to the now-empty mountain.


    Nothing would stop Mo Fan from becoming a magician.


    ¡­¡­


    Done with grieving, Mo Fan made it back home to find that his father was present.


    *¡±Good. We can have this conversation immediately.¡±*


    After seating at the dinner table and being served food by his father, Mo Fan was completely mentally prepared.


    ¡°Mo Fan, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like the dish I prepared for you today?¡±


    ¡°Eh! N-not at all! These are all the things I love to eat! Heh, heh¡­¡±


    Or so he thought.


    ¡°Son, do you have something you need to get off your chest?¡±


    Mo Jia Xing had immediately determined that something was off with his son as soon as he sat at the dinner table, and wanted to help with whatever trouble plagued him.


    ¡°Dad, I-¡°


    Mo Fan sucked in the feelings of guilt and anxiety which tormented him, doing his best to arrange his thoughts.


    ¡°I want to become a magician!¡±


    Mo Fan slowly looked up at his father, seeing the uncomfortable expression on his face. Immediately, his guilt intensified, but he did not let go of his resolve.


    He continued, ¡°I know I achieved poor results in class, and our living situa-¡°


    ¡°Son.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s too expensive for us, but I know that if I awaken I can achieve grea-¡°


    ¡°SON!¡±


    Instantly, Mo Fan¡¯s head lowered, unable to look his father in the eye. He knew he was asking too much for his family¡¯s current economic state, but NOT asking wasn¡¯t an option! Mo Fan had been sent from his past world, where he had few opportunities due to his lack of intelligence, to this new one, which gave him the chance to become a grand figure who could repay his father for all that he¡¯d done! There was also Old Man Ying, who died before Mo Fan¡¯s very eyes and was likely responsible for the world transfer.


    Two people Mo Fan wanted to make proud. He needed to seize the opportunity at all costs.


    ¡°Father, I will do whatever it ta-¡°


    Suddenly, Mo Jia Xing sat on the opposite chair from Mo Fan, determination in his eyes as he asked his son, ¡°Have you made up your mind to pursue magic?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I-¡±


    The answer to the question was obvious, but Mo Fan was still caught off guard by his father¡¯s straightforward response.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Taking a moment to suppress his nervous shaking and solidify his heart, Mo Fan stood up from his chair and put a hand atop the pendant which hung from his neck.


    ¡°It is truly my destiny to study magic, father!¡±

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 3)


    The final exams had just finalized that day and Mo Fan and Xiao Hou were on their ways home.


    ¡°FREEDOM! YEAH~¡± Xiao Hou performed a little celebratory dance as he walked beside Mo Fan.


    ¡°Brother Fan, what are your plans for after graduation?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Xiao Hou, we¡¯ve talked about this.¡± Mo Fan laughed softly. ¡°We¡¯re both aiming for the same place!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, I know, Brother Fan, but you¡¯ve expressed your worries about not being able to make it, so I just want to make sure you¡¯re still determined!¡±


    Xiao Hou cheerily smiled as he said, ¡°After all, it¡¯d be great if we enter Tian Lan Magic High School together!¡± Then, Xiao Hou spotted a vending machine from afar. ¡°Ah, Brother Fan, wait here while I go buy us some drinks.¡±


    Mo Fan gave his thanks and watched Xiao Hou cross the street, before stopping to lean on the wall beside him.


    *¡±Wait, I didn¡¯t tell him which drink to ge-¡°*


    Mo Fan¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a familiar voice speak from the other side of the wall he leaned on.


    ¡°Jia Xing, I¡¯ve already shown consideration to your family.¡±


    *¡±Mu He and dad?!¡±*This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Mo Fan peaked through a metal gate attached to the wall to see his father speaking with his boss, Mu He.


    ¡°Back then, even when your son committed such a horrendous act, I still let you keep your job. This time, it¡¯s a bit too much. Just go-¡°


    ¡°PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU!¡± Mo Fan watched in fury as his father got on his knees to bow to his boss. ¡°Elder Brother Mu He! Please, reconsider my request just this once!¡±


    Mu He looked down at Mo Jia Xing with irritation in his eyes, asking, ¡°Jia Xing, why are you doing this?¡±


    Desperation clear in his voice, Jia Xing pleaded, ¡°I only need your help to put my son into Tian Lan Magic High¡­the tuition is too much for my family!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even bother!¡± Mu He scoffed, ¡°Even if your son had both the aptitude to begin magic and enough intelligence to pass his classes, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d achieved anything.¡±


    At this point, Mo Jia Xing lowered himself and bowed his head further. ¡°Brother Mu¡­if you help us out this last time¡­¡± He took in a deep breath before promising, ¡°We will limit our interactions with the Mu Jia House at once! Rest assured, my little brat will stay far away from Young Lady Mu Ningxue!¡±


    Finally hearing something he liked, Mu He responded, ¡°Oh? Now that offer, I can consider.¡±


    As if graced by the very Heavens themselves, Mo Jia Xing¡¯s face transformed into one of delight as he profusely thanked his boss.


    ¡°Bluntly speaking, however, I can only offer your son a seat in the school. I will do nothing to assist him in succeeding.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! My son will definitely be full of gratitude toward you!¡±


    When Xiao Hou returned he found that Mo Fan not only looked irritated, but was waiting a bit farther from where he¡¯d left him. He wasn¡¯t sure what happened, so he hesitated before asking, ¡°Hey Brother Fan, I¡¯m back¡­but what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    Realizing his emotions were showing, Mo Fan quickly masked them. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Back home with his father, Mo Fan stuck around until Mo Jia Xing decided to broach the subject on his mind.


    ¡°Son, I have good news.¡±


    Since Mo Jia Xing was washing dishes, his back was turned, allowing Mo Fan to cringe at the memory of how his father lowered himself to beg on his behalf.


    ¡°You will be able to go to Tian Lan Magic High School if you¡¯re discovered to have magical potential! Aren¡¯t you excited? I happened to meet a friend at the dean¡¯s office and was able to arrange a seat for you.¡±


    Holding back the turmoil in his mind, Mo Fan did his best to act the part he knew would comfort his father. ¡°Ha ha! That¡¯s awesome! I¡¯m unworthy of being the son of such a great man!¡±


    Mo Jia Xing¡¯s head turned to give Mo Fan a soft, loving smile. ¡°Heh heh, leave it to your old man! I may be a mere driver, but I still have some connections.¡±


    ¡°Though,¡± He continued, ¡°We¡¯ll have to economize and save as much as possible, maybe even rent out our house since you¡¯ll be at boarding school and I¡¯ll mostly be doing long-distance work. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Alright! Thanks, dad!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    In bed that night, Mo Fan found himself unable to sleep, thinking too much.


    *¡±I thought that things would be different in this world¡­¡±* He found himself clenching his fists in anger. *¡±But father still has to demean himself before people born luckier than him! Reality is still so cruel¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan felt rage course through his veins as he sat up in his bed, promising to the world, ¡°I will succeed in becoming a great magician! BETTER THAN ALL OF THEM!¡±

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 4)


    ¡°Brother Fan, look! We¡¯re both in class 8!¡±


    Mu He kept his promise to Mo Jia Xing by assisting Mo Fan in being checked for magical potential and getting him into Tian Lan Magic High School, which Xiao Hou also entered. After meeting up at the school¡¯s entrance, the two went to check which class they were assigned. As if the Heavens smiled upon Mo Fan, he and Xiao Hou were placed into the same class.


    ¡°Oh, you guys are in the same class again?¡±


    Or maybe the Heavens weren¡¯t smiling upon Mo Fan, because Zhou Kun San and Mu Bai arrived at the noticeboard to check their classes and ranks at the same time as he and Xiao Hou.


    ¡°Oooh, would you look at this?¡± Zhou Kun San pointed at the noticeboard. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re in last place! Mo Fan, didn¡¯t you know that your rank is based on your test scores?¡± He laughed for a bit before motioning toward Mu Bai, who stood beside him. ¡°Our Young Master is famed for being in first place!¡±


    ¡°Damn you, Zhou! Why are you here?! Do you wanna fight?!¡±


    Xiao Hou began moving towards the haughty duo with the intent of planting his fist in Zhou Kun San¡¯s face.


    ¡°Calm down, Xiao Hou. The opening ceremony is about to begin.¡±


    As usual, Mo Fan stayed composed and reeled in his friend.


    ¡°Students, welcome to the Tian Lan Magic High Institute. All of you are presumably very excited right now because you are embarking on a journey, on the honorable and glorious path to becoming a magician! I will make this brief.¡±


    Atop a large stage stood a man with a mighty presence, Tian Lan Magic High Institute¡¯s headmaster, who was in the process of giving the opening ceremony speech.


    ¡°Magicians! They exist to preserve, allowing humanity to grow. They defend the human species! You should constantly bear in mind that there are countless magical beasts glaring at you like tigers, eyeing you like prey as soon as you leave the comfort of the city! In the end, I hope each and every one of you will become a rising star of this generation!¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Mo Fan was thankful that the headmaster had kept his word when he said he¡¯d keep his speech brief, because the excitement within him continuously built, unwilling to wait any longer for the event to take place in class.


    ¡°Hopefully, everyone was inspired by the headmaster¡¯s speech. Now, we will begin the process of awakening your magic!¡±


    *¡±Finally!¡±* For Mo Fan, the time had arrived for him to begin on his path to greatness!


    ¡°Excuse me, teacher.¡±


    But of course, Zhou Kun San had to take any jab he could at Mo Fan.


    ¡°If the awakening fails, then what happens? I heard that we have someone in our class who got in through the back door¡­does that mean he¡¯s likely to fail?¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s eyes were downcast and his jaw clenched as Zhou Kun San got under his skin for the first time.


    *¡±Must that bastard waste time like this?!¡±* Except, rather than be angry that Zhou Kun San was trying to make fun of him again, Mo Fan simply did not want to take any longer than necessary to obtain magical powers. After all, Mo Fan was originally from a world which lacked any such ways to gain power. It was reasonable for someone in his position to hunger for his magic awakening to such an extent.


    Trails of whispers sprang up around the classroom as the students discussed Zhou Kun San¡¯s question.


    ¡°Fail? I haven¡¯t heard about anything like that happening before.¡±


    ¡°It would be huge news if someone were to fail.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡± The teacher took a second to think over his response. ¡°That¡¯s highly improbable. After all, everyone in this school had to be measured for magical potential before they could enter. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to enter without having tak-¡° The teacher paused, suddenly remembering a piece of information. ¡°That¡¯s right, there was one incident in which a student was accidentally registered as having magical potential when they didn¡¯t. Unfortunately, the school had to ask the student to stop attending and stop the news from spreading too far to protect the student¡¯s reputation.¡±


    Zhou Kun San appeared disappointed at the teacher¡¯s response. ¡°I guessed as much. But then again,¡±¡ªhe laughed¡ª"it¡¯d still be a shame if the student who got in through a back door either didn¡¯t take the aptitude test or their results were wrong.¡±


    *¡±You idiot¡­ I will awaken a powerful element! Just you wait!¡±*


    ¡°Anyway,¡±¡ªthe teacher continued¡ª¡°We will begin the magic awakening according to student ranks. Rank one, Mu Bai!¡±


    Around the class, students gawked as their fellow classmate made his way to the front of the class to stand before a crystal ball.


    ¡°Wow, so he¡¯s Mu Bai. Not only handsome, but also ranked first!¡±


    ¡°Waa~ He¡¯s so cute! I wonder which element he¡¯ll awaken.¡±


    ¡°It definitely won¡¯t be the water or light elements!¡±


    Then, the teacher inquisitively asked, ¡°Mu Bai, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be from that old, prominent Mu family who possesses the powerful ice element, would you?¡±


    Clearly happy to have his background recognized, Mu Bai smirked. ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you awaken the ice element, then you will have an advantage over the others. But don¡¯t forget, natural talent is worthless without the effort to turn it into something great!¡±


    ¡°Yes, in the end, talent may not be everything¡­¡±¡ªMu Bai snickered¡ª¡°but without it, one is destined to be insignificant.¡±


    Again, the members of the class were surprised! Although having any element was considered better than none, every mage, potential or otherwise, was aware that certain elements were more suited for combat than others, one of them being ice. Then again, simply because one¡¯s predecessors had a particular element didn¡¯t mean their successors would gain it. There was always a chance that the element they¡¯d awaken was completely different.


    Which is why Mu Bai was almost shaking from nervousness. ¡°If I don¡¯t awaken the ice element,¡± he thought, ¡°I¡¯ll be considered worthless! In this awakening¡­I, Mu Bai, will definitely succeed!¡±


    With that, Mu Bai placed his hand on the crystal ball and watched as it shined with a light blue, causing the class to exclaim their surprise.


    ¡°The ice element!¡±


    ¡°It really is the famed and powerful ice element!¡±

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 5)


    ¡°Outstanding!¡±¡ªthe teacher praised¡ª¡±It¡¯s the ice element! Cultivate it well and let it grow stronger!¡± Then, he thought, ¡°His innate talent actually managed to freeze the awakening sphere. His future shows great promise!¡±


    Walking back to his seat, Mu Bai silently let out a sigh as he thanked the Heavens that his background didn¡¯t fail him, thinking, ¡°Yes! As fate would have it, I possess my family¡¯s signature element. Now I can get even closer to the main family!¡±


    ¡°Worthy of being a Mu!¡±¡ªZhou Kun San began kissing ass¡ª¡±A very powerful element indeed! It won¡¯t be long before you start practicing with the eldest daughter of the Mu family!¡± Then he took another jab at Mo Fan. ¡°Hey, the one who used connections, don¡¯t pay this much mind. Constantly comparing yourself with your betters will only make you angry~¡±


    To which Xiao Hou turned around in his seat and yelled, ¡°Damn you, Zhao! Go die!¡±


    Annoyed at the interruption, the teacher threatened, ¡°Zhang Xiao Hou, what¡¯s all the noise about? Don¡¯t you want to take the awakening test?¡±


    Losing all the ferocity from before, he weakly replied, ¡°I¡­ I want to¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Zhang Xiao Hou, wind element! Next is¡­student ranked last, Mo Fan!¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    *¡±Finally! No more interruptions! My journey will, at long last, begin¡­¡±*


    Uncaring of the dozens of eyes on him, Mo Fan stood from his seat and approached the awakening sphere. Besides the bountiful suspense he felt, a tiny bit of fear crept up within him. It didn¡¯t really matter to him which element he awakened, only the possibility that he wouldn¡¯t awaken any at all scared him. What if there really was a mistake when measuring his magical potential and they marked him as having it when he didn¡¯t? The immense hopelessness that he¡¯d feel would likely crush him.


    ¡°Brother Fan, good luck!¡±¡ªXiao Hou encouraged¡ª¡°Ignore that bastard Zhou Kun San!¡±


    ¡°Mo Fan, put a hand above the awakening sphere. Feel your inner strength. Close your eyes and trust in yourself.¡±


    Heart beating too fast to be healthy, Mo Fan shakily placed a hand onto the crystal ball. It was time.


    *¡±Breathe in, breathe out. Everything will be fine.¡±*


    Now able to clear his mind, Mo Fan waited.


    ¡°There¡­is no reaction? Is it supposed to be transparent?¡±


    ¡°Did the awakening really fail¡­?¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s classmates awkwardly watched as the sphere in front of Mo Fan did not change in any way, which was very strange to them, because in everyone else¡¯s case, the awakening sphere immediately changed color.


    Yet again, Zhou Kun San began mocking Mo Fan. ¡°Hey everyone, what did I say? He is the lowest-ranked student. What element could he possess?¡±


    ¡°Brother Fan will definitely awaken a powerful element! Just you watch, you pile of shit!¡±


    ¡°Shit? You¡¯re covered in it.¡±


    Immediately, the teacher slapped Xiao Hou and Zhou Kun San upside the head with a book and had them stand outside the classroom to reflect on their behavior.


    Meanwhile, Mo Fan suddenly felt a strange power awaken within him with the crystal ball¡¯s assistance, causing his consciousness to be moved.


    *¡±Is this what it¡¯s like to project my consciousness into my soul realm? It looks like there¡¯s nothing here¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan found himself floating around aimlessly within a vast open, and empty, space.


    *¡±The book said that upon awakening my magic, a cluster of stars or something similar will appear¡­¡±*


    Then, without warning, Mo Fan found his projection bathed in a soft glow. Willing his projection to turn around, he gaped in awe at what looked like a spiral galaxy hanging far above him, the experience surreal.


    *¡±Star cluster! It came out of nowhere!¡±*


    At that moment, Mo Fan¡¯s attention was completely absorbed by a particular detail of his star cluster which struck him like a thunderbolt.


    *¡±Wait, this star cluster¡­it¡¯s purple! Could it be that I¡¯ve awakened¡­¡±*


    In the classroom, the teacher and students were immediately bewitched by a surprising purple light.


    ¡°Good heavens! The lightning element!¡±


    ¡°The heaven-shattering lightning element!¡±

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 6)


    Ending the venture into his soul realm, Mo Fan mumbled, ¡°Yes, yes. Now you realize that I¡­¡±


    Then, he opened his eyes.


    *¡±HUH?! THEY¡¯RE GONE?!¡±*


    Confusion surfaced in Mo Fan as he swept the classroom with his eyes, taking in the strange sight of the many rows of empty seats, only understanding the situation upon hearing the exclamations from the class next door.


    ¡°Lightning element! Someone in class 7 awakened the lightning element!¡±


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s the lightning element!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I managed to see the awakening of the lightning element with my own eyes!¡±


    The door to class 7 was packed with students from the surrounding classrooms trying to catch a glimpse at the lucky student who awakened one of the most powerful elements. Within the classroom, the student who awakened it wasn¡¯t particularly happy about the attention he was receiving, mumbling about how he would have been fine with the fire element.


    Standing outside the crowd of students was Mo Fan¡¯s homeroom teacher, similarly excited about the development, thinking, ¡°It¡¯s really the rare lightning element. The homeroom teacher of class 7 must be quite proud!¡± before telling his class, ¡°Alright, we have seen enough. Let¡¯s go back. Don¡¯t forget that Mo Fan is still awakening his magic.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Remembering how the awakening sphere had stalled and not immediately shown an element when Mo Fan used it, a student cynically asked, ¡°So what? What good can come out of the lowest-ranked student?¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s rude classmate didn¡¯t bother lowering his voice when he spoke, showing clear disregard for Mo Fan.


    *¡±Speaking in such a loud voice! Do you think I¡¯m deaf?! So what if that other student awakened the lightning element? I did too!¡±*


    Then, just as Mo Fan thought to remove his hand from the crystal ball and return to his seat, the awakening sphere changed color!


    *¡±Wha-what¡¯s going on? Why is it turning red?!¡±*


    Before Mo Fan could panic at the strange situation, his classmates began returning from viewing class 7¡¯s lightning element awakening.


    ¡°Fire element! Brother Fan, you have the fire element!¡±


    Eyes wide in glee, Xiao Hou announced Mo Fan¡¯s results to the classmates that hadn¡¯t yet arrived, annoying Zhou Kun San in particular.


    ¡°How could such a loser possess the fire element! Zhang Xiao Hou, you¡¯re not only a bootlicker, but a liar!¡±


    Unfazed by the accusation, Xiao Hou gloatingly replied, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, look for yourself!¡±


    After smacking the two loud students upside the head, the teacher turned to Mo Fan with praise. ¡°Fire element! Not bad. It proves you have great potential! Though, of course, remember to never let it get to your head and diligently train!¡±


    While walking back to his seat, Mo Fan passed Mu Bai, not bothering to make eye contact. He never considered Mu Bai his rival, only a silent jerk who let his ass-kisser do the talking for him. Eye contact could give Mu Bai the impression that Mo Fan cared, thus he avoided it.


    ¡°Brother Fan, Brother Fan! The fire element! You¡¯re really cool!¡±


    Back in their desks, Xiao Hou couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, constantly congratulating Mo Fan.


    ¡°Heh, thank you.¡±


    *¡±These people, minus Xiao Hou, only look at me with respect after I awakened the fire element. I wonder how they¡¯d react if they knew I also awakened the lightning element.¡±*


    It sickened Mo Fan how quickly his classmates¡¯ attitudes changed as soon as Mo Fan awakened a rare element. That kind of insincere attitude was why Mo Fan appreciated Xiao Hou so much, someone who liked Mo Fan for his personality instead of circumstance.


    *¡±I not only possess dual elements, but my elements are among the most powerful ones. The Heavens are helping me! Dad, just wait! I will apply double the effort into cultivation and become the strongest magician! Then we shall see who dares look down on us!¡±*


    While Mo Fan was envisioning the future, his teacher was singing praises of the school¡¯s newest students in his head. ¡°Our class contains two fire element magicians and one ice element while class 7 has a lightning mage. It seems talented students are emerging.¡±


    Then he addressed the class. ¡°Congratulations to everyone for a successful magic awakening! However, this is just the beginning.¡± The teacher paused to write on the chalkboard. ¡°Next up, we will start the first lesson of being a magician¡­¡± He paused to build suspense. ¡°Releasing the magic!¡±

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 7)


    A couple months passed since Mo Fan and the rest of his grade went through their magic awakenings, during which Mo Fan¡¯s class had a single goal: to summon their individual star clusters at will.


    The students learned that the release of magic is divided into three steps, the first of which being to deeply meditate with the goal of making their star cluster appear at will in their soul realm, because without practice the star cluster would remain hidden.


    ¡°Over these last two months, everyone has diligently practiced meditation. In particular, your fellow student Mu Bai has already begun training in ¡®taking control¡¯.¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s teacher made a point of openly praising excellent students in the hope of inspiring those with fewer achievements to stay dedicated with their training, which worked to an extent, as could be inferred by the admiring words of the students around Mo Fan.


    ¡°Mu Bai is really too awesome! I¡¯m not even close to calling out my star cluster, yet he¡¯s already onto the next step!¡±


    ¡°If only I had half of Mu Bai¡¯s talent, my parents wouldn¡¯t be so strict with me!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it! With any more talent, you¡¯d grow even more complacent and lazy!¡±


    Noticing the rate of progression of his class, Mo Fan felt that he should not dally any longer with his own training.


    *¡±Now that I can easily call on both the lightning and fire element star clusters it¡¯s time to practice ¡®taking control¡¯.¡±


    The second step of releasing one¡¯s magic is the most difficult step: taking control. In every beginner-level star cluster, which is simply a new star cluster like both of Mo Fan¡¯s, there are seven stars moving about randomly. The second step consists of controlling those stars to arrange them into a star path.


    Without waiting a second, Mo Fan tuned out the chatter of his classroom and dove into his soul realm, where he instantly summoned his lightning element star cluster.


    *¡±Ha ha ha, you little stars will soon be under my control!¡±*


    Within his soul realm, Mo Fan¡¯s mental projection pinpointed the seven stars in the star cluster and began willing them to move. Slowly, one of the seven stars ground to a halt before crawling to a specific location. Then, a second star did the same, slowly ceasing movement before traveling to its place in the star path, the entire process only being a tiny bit more difficult that time.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    *¡±Heh, this is too easy! Maybe it was an exaggeration to say the second step is the most difficult. At this rate, I¡¯ll be fighting monsters before my classmates even manage to summon their star clusters!¡±*


    Again, Mo Fan willed a star out of its chaotic, unsystematic rampage through the lightning element star cluster and into the star path.


    *¡±No way, it can¡¯t really be this easy! I was just joking earlier¡­ But if it is¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan almost lost control of his stars by picturing himself wielding lightning, but quickly regained his focus and picked out a fourth star from the star cluster.


    *¡±Nice and easy. Just follow my command¡­¡±*


    The fourth star took much longer than the last three to come to a stop, making it evident to Mo Fan that the difficulty was just raised exponentially.


    *¡±Okay, now move here¡­¡±*


    The star wobbled and shook, but Mo Fan had control of it and was guiding it to its destination.


    *¡±Phew, okay, now¡­¡±*


    Just as Mo Fan tried to place the fourth star into the star path, it wrenched itself from his grasp, spinning and dashing in chaos once more.


    *¡±GAAAH!¡±*


    Mo Fan¡¯s mental projection roared in frustration as his neat and orderly star path was shaken, eventually falling to shambles. Mo Fan learned the hard way why the second step was most difficult.


    *¡±If I can¡¯t place every star into its path one after the other in succession, my stars return to disorder, leaving me with have no choice but to start over.¡±*


    Mo Fan exited his soul realm and returned to the physical world, his loud classroom. He massaged his face, attempting to soothe his irritation at failing to control even half of his stars in one star cluster.


    *¡±No, it¡¯s fine.¡±* Mo Fan consoled himself. *¡±This IS the most difficult step, yet I¡¯m almost halfway through. It¡¯s not that bad¡­in fact, it¡¯s probably very good! I just need to take my time and continue training. I¡¯ll get it eventually¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan peaked through the gaps in his fingers to take a look at Mu Bai, who was still indulging in the teacher¡¯s praise.


    *¡±Even if I take longer than¡­others. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±*


    Mo Fan let out a sigh as he returned to his soul realm and continued training.


    ¡­¡­


    Some time later, Mo Fan Found himself yelling at himself under a tree in a park.


    ¡°Nooo! Start over!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    ¡°Again?!¡±


    ¡°Why does the fourth star act like this?!¡±


    Exhausted, Mo Fan fell from his meditating posture onto his back with his arms sprawled at either side. He whimpered for a bit before heaving a great sigh and mindlessly watching the clouds.


    ¡°It looks like aligning three stars is my limit right now.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Xinxia, need help getting home?¡±


    Leaving the gates of her middle school, a girl offered to walk her friend, who sat in a wheelchair, home.


    ¡°No, my elder brother is coming to pick me up. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go on first. Bye!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, see you tomorrow.¡± Xinxia smiled and waved her friend goodbye.


    Not long after, a young man appeared from around a corner, covered in sweat from running, and stopped in front of the girl in the wheelchair.


    ¡°Xinxia! I¡¯m sorry!¡± He spoke in-between breaths. ¡°I¡¯ve kept you waiting!¡±


    ¡°Not at all. We were just dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Even so, I should have been here sooner, to wait for you to exit the building!¡± The young man¡¯s voice was clearly heavy with guilt as he surveyed his surroundings to see other middle schoolers leaving the school premises, making sure Xinxia was telling the truth and that he wasn¡¯t too late.


    ¡°Brother Mo Fan you don¡¯t need to pick me up every day. After dropping me off, you still have to return to your school¡¯s dorm. It must be hard for you.¡± Xinxia¡¯s voice contained her own guilt from taking up Mo Fan¡¯s time.


    In response, Mo Fan gave a wry smile.


    ¡°Since I promised auntie I¡¯d pick you up, of course, I won¡¯t disappoint my little Xinxia.¡±


    Mo Fan patted her head before gesturing towards the nearby Zhongshan Park.


    ¡°Though, from now on, wait for me at the entrance of that park. Okay?¡±


    Xinxia nodded, then gently tugged at the end of Mo Fan¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m always causing you trouble¡­¡±


    Stepping behind Xinxia to push her wheelchair, Mo Fan laughed.


    ¡°What? Ha! No, elder brothers look after their younger sisters in line with the principles of Heaven and Earth!¡± He let his confident words hang in the air for a bit before asking, ¡°Then, it¡¯s agreed that you¡¯ll wait at the park?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Brother Mo Fan.¡±

 Chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 8)


    Floating aimlessly in the familiar void, Mo Fan¡¯s mental projection spent a few seconds taking deep breaths, forcing himself to relax, before stretching a hand out in front of him and pointing at his lightning element star cluster.


    ¡°One!¡±


    Not even a second slow, a star within the cluster which was previously randomly dashing about looked as though it were suddenly grasped by an invisible hand as it quickly took its place as the first star in the star path.


    ¡°Two! Three!¡±


    This time, two stars previously in chaotic motion, one after the other, immediately came to a halt before finding their places in the star path.


    ¡°Four!¡±


    Mo Fan remembered well the first times he attempted to build his star path and how the fourth star remained unrestrainable. But, of course, that was some time ago. Now, Mo Fan controlled the fourth star as easily as he did the first!


    ¡°Five! Six!¡±


    Two more stars rapidly fell into place.


    ¡°Seven!¡±


    At the last star, Mo Fan finally felt some difficulty in his task. The seventh star acted as the fourth star had when he first began training in the second step of awakening his magic; it took an immense amount of pressure for the star to be moved, but he could do it. The seventh star shakily made its way to the end of the lightning element star cluster star path.


    *¡±So close! Just stay calm! Let me finish this!¡±*


    Then, as though a bucking bronco, the seventh star wrenched itself from his tired grasp and escaped to freedom, ruining Mo Fan¡¯s progress on its way.


    ¡°Ugghhhhh! Damn! I got stuck on the last star again!¡±


    Mo Fan exited his soul realm and rose from his sitting position, too tired to bother attempting to align his stars once more.


    ¡°Hmm¡­Xinxia¡¯s classes should have ended by now.¡±


    Mo Fan straightened his clothing, making himself presentable, and began his walk to Xinxia¡¯s school.


    ¡°I originally wanted to surprise her with my lightning magic, though, I still need more practice.¡±


    Nearing Xinxia¡¯s school and the park which sat across it, Mo Fan expected to see Xinxia waiting at the park entrance. When he didn¡¯t see her, he questioned his senses. Had he misjudged the time?If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°There are students exiting the building, though¡­¡±


    Absolutely sure that the middle school¡¯s classes already ended for the day, Mo Fan began walking into Zhongshan Park, a bad premonition bubbling in his gut.


    ¡°She could still be in the school, and I could wait for her, but she¡¯d be safe there. If she¡¯s not¡­¡±


    At first, Mo Fan¡¯s steps remained casual, the same way he¡¯d first arrived. Yet, after a minute of walking and no sign of Xinxia, his pace quickened, turning into a jog. After another minute, and the sick feeling in his stomach getting worse, Mo Fan¡¯s stride transformed into a full sprint and he abandoned his manners as he called out his little cousin¡¯s name at full volume, hoping to hear his name in response.


    For a while, nothing. He saw no one on the concrete path, heard nothing from the surrounding trees. The park was strangely quiet.


    Then, Mo Fan came across a small park with a set of swings and a slide, a place children would normally congregate to play. Not that day. Instead of the usual sight of little kids playing tag or pretending to cast spells, Mo Fan saw a group of men of varying sizes and clothing standing around, either smoking or chatting with each other. Though, those were details Mo Fan hardly registered, because some of the men in the group surrounded a young girl in a wheelchair, laughing as they watched her quake with fear.


    ¡°XINXIA!¡±


    Noticing the approach of a high school student calling out a feminine name, the men surrounding Xinxia turned toward him, displaying cruel smiles.


    ¡°Oh? Do you know our little friend here?¡± The closest of the men, who gave Mo Fan the impression of a rat, asked.


    No words. Mo Fan was now close enough to see little bits of light glistening from streams of tears on her face and the rage within him was fully unbound as he allowed it to consume his mind.


    ¡°What do ya want, punk? We¡¯re just having a nice chat with this litt-¡±


    The thug¡¯s sentence was cut off when Mo Fan removed his school bag from around his shoulder and threw it at his face.


    ¡°Uurrrgh!¡±


    Temporarily distracted, he stood no chance of efficiently blocking the kick Mo Fan sent to his face.


    ¡°Fourth Brother!¡± One of the other men cried out. Mo Fan¡¯s actions had gathered the complete attention of all the men in the park, but only the few surrounding Xinxia thought to teach the youngster a lesson.


    Mo Fan ducked under a punch and sidestepped a second fist, shooting a kick toward the groin of the first man to punch. The thug¡¯s knee easily blocked the lousy kick, but with his attention on protecting his groin, the man failed to defend against the punch to his throat.


    ¡°GGGGRRRRRUUUUGUGHHH!¡±


    The man collapsed beside his fourth brother, disoriented and clutching his throat. If Mo Fan were only fighting those two, he would have taken the opportunity to break a few ribs, but unfortunately for him, a solid blow struck his side, causing him to nearly keel over. Yet, Mo Fan ignored the pain and struggled to move backward, managing to get by with only a scrape by the shoe which almost hit his leg.


    ¡°Punk! You¡¯ll get what¡¯s coming to you for not knowing your place!¡± The large thug who punched and nearly kicked Mo Fan stood before him, cracking his knuckles for intimidation.


    ¡°Ha ha! What a stupid kid! Pretty soon you¡¯ll be needing one of these, too!¡± The fourth thug of the group which surrounded Xinxia spoke from next to the girl, one hand on his hip and the other on Xinxia¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°We thought we were gonna bored waiting in this park for all our brothers to arrive, but we spotted such an innocent flower waiting at the park¡¯s entrance, probably for you, now that I think about it. Perfect entertainment.¡±


    Mo Fan cared not for their words and only had enough mental capacity for one thought: protect Xinxia. Without hesitation, Mo Fan crouched down and grabbed a handful of sand from the ground before tossing it at the large man¡¯s face.


    Regrettably, the thug held a thick arm to his face in time to prevent any sand from entering his eyes, but Mo Fan still attacked, sweeping his leg through the air toward the thug. The strike connected, but the thug was large, too large to destabilize his balance.


    ¡°Nice try!¡±


    The large man swooped forward as Mo Fan retreated, but still managed to grab his shirt. While Mo Fan panicked, struggling to determine any way to escape the thug¡¯s grasp, a fist made its way to his face, jerking his head to the right.


    ¡°You¡¯re unlucky that was my nondominant hand. Now you¡¯ll be conscious when I break some of your bones.¡±


    *¡±Gah! I can¡¯t escape this bastard¡¯s clutch! Only one hope left...¡±*


    Without hesitating a second longer, Mo Fan banked on the last weapon he had in his arsenal.


    *¡±Stars, ALIGN!¡±*


    Within his soul realm, Mo Fan¡¯s fury and desperation fueled his will as he rapidly forced star after star into place, forming the star path.


    *¡±SEVEN!¡±*


    Wobbling, the seventh star traveled its course toward the end of the star path, doing its best to struggle against Mo Fan¡¯s domineering will.


    ¡±YOU WILL SUBMIT!¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s mental projection roared so ferociously that his soul realm seemed to shake under the pressure of his mind, causing the seventh star to end its struggle and complete the star path.


    ¡°This punk¡¯s body went limp. What the hell?¡±


    In the physical world, Mo Fan did not have control over his body while he formed his star path, leaving the large thug confused, but doing nothing to quell his anger.


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re not leaving here without a few broken bones.¡±


    Suddenly, Mo Fan¡¯s eyes flipped open, staring directly into the thug¡¯s own eyes. Before the thug could question why he felt a shiver down his spine, a single word escaped Mo Fan¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Lightning.¡±

 Chapter Nine

    Chapter Nine


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 9)


    The rest of the thugs in the playground were having a splendid time watching a random teen fight some of their colleagues. Most commonly when someone in their group entered a fight or was attacked, the opposition were other thugs from their own circles. In those cases, everyone present had to fight to keep their group¡¯s honor. However, that day¡¯s situation was completely different. Yes, some of their colleagues were under attack, but the fight wasn¡¯t related to territory or anything like that. Instead, the unusual occurrence was caused when some degenerates among them decided to bully a little crippled girl to ease their boredom. Such actions didn¡¯t warrant any kind of punishment in their group, but most of the members just didn¡¯t like it. Seeing a kid hold his own against their colleagues just felt right to them.


    However, the surprise event quickly came to an end when the biggest of the group picking on the little girl managed to land a hit on the kid, dealing enough damage to slow him. Then, the kid was restrained by the shirt. No chance for him to win after that.


    ¡°Ah well. The kid¡¯ll learn not to pick fights against bigger opponents.¡± They thought, not even a shred of sympathy for him. To them, the kid should be grateful that they stayed out of the fight at all.


    Yet, something else managed to catch their interest. The kid looked as though he suddenly gave up the fight when he let his body go slack, which didn¡¯t seem at all right to them. He was obviously acquainted with the girl in the wheelchair and cared enough about her to attack a large group of grown men to save her. Would he just give up after a struggle which managed to put two guys on the ground?


    Their inquiries were quickly answered when Mo Fan almost immediately opened his eyes again, staring defiantly at the large man holding onto his shirt.


    ¡°Lightning.¡± They heard him say.


    Then, what they thought to be impossible¡­happened. The kid¡¯s right hand, previously slack at his side, began to emit a purple glow and high-pitched sound. From his open palm escaped a purple flash of light.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Waaahh¡­?¡±


    Mo Fan, doing his best to ignore the pain in his head from the punch, watched with cold, wrathful eyes as the large man in front of him lost the strength previously used to overpowered him. Soon, along with the man¡¯s grip, his legs gave out. Clutching his left side, which felt charred and began oozing blood, he could only think about how he¡¯d made a big mistake.


    Finished reveling in the large man¡¯s pain, Mo Fan turned to look at the real target of his lightning spell. On the ground beside the wheelchair laid the last of the men who harassed Xinxia, unmoving. Mo Fan was fully aware of the situation he was in and would not stand for Xinxia to be used against him as a hostage, so he immediately took out the thug closest to her, also heavily injuring the large man with just a graze of his spell.


    Only for a few seconds were the rest of the men in the playground too shocked to move before most of them bolted in the opposite direction of Mo Fan. However, the few sensible thugs who understood that nothing they could do would stop Mo Fan¡¯s lightning from killing them did not flee, instead choosing to lower themselves onto their arms and knees, bowing for forgiveness, not even daring to audibly plea for their lives.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡­¡­


    The entire time she¡¯d been at the thugs¡¯ mercy, Xinxia silently cried, biting her tongue so as to not agitate the men with her sobs. She prayed for a savior in her thoughts, hoping that by some miracle from the Heavens a hero would appear to rescue her from her tragedy. Of course, the first figure that came to mind was her older cousin, Mo Fan, who despite struggling with both poverty and low grades managed to stay positive and bright, always treating her like a princess. However, she knew that her prayer should not be answered by him. Regardless of him attending Tian Lan Magic High, he wasn¡¯t yet a mage. There was nothing he could do for her here.


    Then, Mo Fan appeared, causing Xinxia¡¯s heart to stir madly, conflicted by her endless gratitude for him and her terror at the thought of him getting hurt for her sake. She wanted to cry out to him to run away, to get help instead of risking his life, but her words were choked by her tears and fear, unable to emerge from her throat.


    Incapable of changing anything, Xinxia sorrowfully watched as Mo Fan charged headfirst at the four men who took enjoyment in her fright. To her surprise, he managed to easily take one out and dodge a few strikes, enough of a display of power that hope began to rise in her despite the odds being so skewed against Mo Fan.


    Eventually, he was struck, sending Xinxia through another avalanche of guilt, frustration, and terror. She could only watch through her tear-filled eyes as Mo Fan was lifted by his shirt and struck again, in the face that time, as she heard the large brute talk about breaking his bones, as all hope was lost and she tried to close her eyes.


    Xinxia cursed her crippled legs, cursed her weakness, wished for strength, wished for magic.


    Then, the explosion.


    At least, that¡¯s what it sounded like to Xinxia when a lightning bolt emerged from Mo Fan, scraping the brute and sailing past her teary face to collide with the man beside her, the thug who originally suggested they ¡°play¡± with her.


    ¡­¡­


    After finishing his business, Mo Fan led Xinxia out of the park, stopping when Xinxia managed to suppress her terror.


    ¡°Brother Mo Fan¡­¡±


    Not letting Xinxia work herself back into a sob, Mo Fan kneeled and embraced her, holding her head to his shoulder. She trembled in his arms, unsure what to say.


    ¡°Little Xinxia, I¡¯m so sorry¡­I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there to protect you. I should have been there. ¡±


    Mo Fan tried pinning the blame to himself, unwilling to allow Xinxia to consider the incident her fault in any way. If she did, he didn¡¯t know what he would do. After all, there was no way for Xinxia to protect herself, and he considered himself her only defense. It wouldn¡¯t be right for her to feel guilty.


    ¡°Brother Mo Fan, it¡¯s alright, but h-¡°


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not alright! I should have been there to protect you!¡±


    Mo Fan continued interrupting Xinxia for a while, repeating the cycle of apologizing for not saving her sooner. Eventually, Xinxia had to hit Mo Fan to bring him back to reality. Just as Mo Fan hoped, continuously apologizing assisted his little cousin in forgetting the traumatizing event, even if only a little.


    ¡°Brother Mo Fan! I have a question!¡±


    Or so he thought.


    ¡°How long has it been since you awakened your magic?¡±


    Initially, Mo Fan was very confused. What did her question have to do with protecting her? Then he mentally smacked himself for forgetting that he displayed a powerful magical attack just a short while ago.


    ¡°Less than six months. Why do you ask?¡±


    Suddenly, to Mo Fan¡¯s bewilderment, Xinxia¡¯s expression reverted to one of fear.


    *¡±No, she¡¯s worried.¡±*


    Xinxia lifted a hand to her face as if she¡¯d been given terrible news and needed time to contemplate consequences. Her eyes darted back and forth, unable to rest on a single scene. She even squirmed a little.


    ¡°Brother Mo Fan¡­ I heard that most gifted magicians take almost a year from awakening magic to releasing it. Could it be¡­¡±


    Xinxia was clearly unsure of herself, hesitating, as if she were deathly afraid of the answer. Her actions didn¡¯t make any sense to Mo Fan at all. Shouldn¡¯t cultivating quickly be a good thing?


    ¡°Did you learn something bad from outside? Like¡­from the Dark Vatican?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Mo Fan stared at the ceiling of his dormitory room from his bed, replaying the scenes from before when Xinxia became more worried for him than traumatized by the thugs. The questioning he received from his little cousin frightened him at the time, but he decided to look deeper into the matter and giver her time to think before questioning her in return.


    When Xinxia spoke of the Dark Vatican she didn¡¯t explain what it was, even when Mo Fan asked about it. He could tell it was bad news. After a quick search, he found a simple explanation which answered his speculation.


    ¡°Threatening the security of every country, this close-knit group of magicians is responsible for causing many calamities and disasters worldwide. Their leaders, the structure of the organization, and their true purposes, are unknown. They utilize forbidden techniques to accelerate a magician¡¯s cultivation and bewitch, develop, and control young magicians.¡±


    Clearly, the Dark Vatican wasn¡¯t liked by the current governments of the world and didn¡¯t seem very pleasant to Mo Fan. Though he was slightly curious about how they did such things, Mo Fan didn¡¯t consider it wise to research the subject in the case that he accidentally draw suspicion towards himself.


    *¡±Even my precious little cousin was worried that I colluded with them. Yeah, some of her behavior can be attributed to what she just experienced, but I should still be careful. I¡¯ll stick to my identity as a fire mage, for now.¡±*

 Chapter Ten

    Chapter Ten


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 10)


    ¡°Yet another boring lesson in practical magic.¡± Sighed a student.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Another agreed. ¡°That old geezer always bores me to death.¡±


    Mo Fan and his classmates sat bored in their practical magic class, waiting for their teacher to arrive and class to start. Suddenly, a strange clacking noise could be heard repeating and growing louder outside the classroom. A few heads turned to look at the door, where the sound could be heard from, which promptly swung open, revealing an unknown, beautiful figure.


    ¡°Good morning students. My name is Tang Yue and you can call me Ms. Tang Yue. From now on, I will be teaching your practical magic lessons!¡±


    The gorgeous teacher confidently strutted into the room and took a position at the front, eyeing her new students.


    ¡°Wow! She¡¯s a beauty!¡±


    ¡°Dude, this is amazing!¡±


    A few of the boys in the class, much to the irritation of a few girls, couldn¡¯t contain their excitement as they released exclamations, which the teacher ignored.


    In the back of the class, Mo Fan was nudged awake from his nap by Xiao Hou, who wished to quickly share the exhilaration of seeing their hot, new teacher.


    ¡°Brother Fan! Brother Fan! We have a new teacher for practical magic!¡± Xiao Hou waited for Mo Fan to raise his head before continuing saying, ¡°If I had a teacher like that in junior high, I would have studied so hard instead of lazing like I did!¡±


    Not yet having opened his eyes, and about to lower his head to return to his nap, Mo Fan argued, ¡°So what if she¡¯s beautiful? The most important thing is still one¡¯s ability.¡±


    Xiao Hou chuckled before a smirk crept onto his face.


    ¡°Brother Fan, stop with the act. Everyone knows that boys our age are interested in certain things~~¡±


    Annoyed, Mo Fan shot up, hissing, ¡°Tsk, keep quiet while we¡¯re in class!¡± Then, he glanced at the new teacher, instantly realizing what all the commotion among the boys was about. His teacher, Tang Yue, was the epitome of mature charm in a woman. More than just her body, she carried herself with such a confidence that could conquer any monster, any foe.


    Mo Fan¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Ms. Tang Yue spoke to the class.


    ¡°Before we begin, I¡¯d like to ask a question. Who among you has awakened a fire affinity?¡±


    Still processing his new teacher¡¯s beauty, Mo Fan shakily raised a hand, along with a girl who always wore a long ponytail and sat closer to the front. Ms. Tang Yue found the girl¡¯s name in her class roster.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Oh, you must be teacher Zhou¡¯s daughter. You have much combat potential, so be sure to work hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    Then, to Mo Fan¡¯s surprise, Ms. Tang Yue began her confident walk up the rows of seats till she arrived at the very end, where Mo Fan sat. He¡¯d still not gotten over the butterflies in his stomach, and even a rosy pink color surfaced on his face.


    ¡°You also awakened a fire affinity?¡± She asked Mo Fan.


    Doing his best not to stutter, he replied, ¡°Yes, Ms. Tang Yue. I¡¯m 48<sup>th</sup> on the register¡ªMo Fan.¡±


    Unbeknownst to Mo Fan, Ms. Tang Yue had taken notice of the dragon pendant which hung around his neck. However, she quickly looked away, turning back to return to her desk at the front.


    ¡°Right then, back to business¡­ The purpose of this lesson is to instill in you an appreciation for the power of magic. This, before you learn how to use it yourselves. So today, I will be introducing you to the basic magic techniques for every element.¡±


    Before Ms. Tang Yue returned to the front, a particularly strange male student near her saw the opportunity to attract her attention¡­wanting to make her angry at him.


    ¡°Teacher, how powerful can basic magic techniques possibly be? We shouldn¡¯t be wasting our time on them.¡±


    Around the classroom, the students felt the weight of his words which questioned and dismissed what she¡¯d stated they needed to learn, wondering why he¡¯d say something so blatantly rude.


    Yet, before anything could tell the young man to can it, Ms. Tang Yue turned to follow his voice before approaching his desk with a smirk, asking, ¡°Would you like to know just how powerful?¡±


    The young man had only wanted to get off by making her angry, so when he managed to process her words, he freaked out, thinking he¡¯d be attacked. Which was obviously not what he wanted.


    ¡°Do you see that wooden practice target over there?¡± She asked, making sure the student turned to see a wooden board with a bull¡¯s eye painted on it sitting in one corner of the classroom. Then, she snapped her finger, pointing at the target. ¡°Fire strike, incinerate!¡±


    In almost the blink of an eye, Ms. Tang Yue¡¯s basic magic spell turned the target dummy to dust while leaving everything else and everyone in the room unharmed, causing the students to stare at her in awe.


    ¡°This is the power of basic magic techniques¡ªthat which you hold in contempt.¡± She returned to the front of the class and put her hands together in front of her chest, before continuing. ¡°Though, I do understand where you¡¯re coming from. It¡¯s natural for new magicians to want to create their own spells rather than use those of past generations. However, even basic magic techniques are difficult to form and perfect. It is not easy.¡± Ms. Tang Yue¡¯s words befuddled the young man who spoke against her earlier. He hadn¡¯t been thinking that at all, instead just wanting her to speak scornfully at him! Yet, Ms. Tang Yue had no way of knowing such, so she continued. ¡°Yes, new magic spells can be created, and magic can even be freely manipulated with enough skill, but the skill and understanding necessary to accomplish those two things often require decades of harsh training. Even for geniuses.¡±


    Ms. Tang Yue opened a palm to face the ceiling and conjured a small red flame which promptly leaped off her hand, dancing through the air as though a fairy. ¡°Even I can only do this much and a bit more.¡±


    Satisfied with her explanation and the stunned looks of her students, she resumed with her scheduled questions. ¡°Now, how many stars can the students in our class currently control?¡±


    Ms. Tang Yue expected to hear a mixture of proud and embarrassed answers, but a student excitedly spoke up before any other could.


    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m not sure about the others,¡± Zhou Kun San¡¯s glee as he spoke was off-putting, ¡°but I do know that Mo Fan can¡¯t even control a single star! Totally unlike our young master, Mu Bai, who¡¯s both talented and intelligent. He¡¯s just one star away from being able to cast magic!¡±


    Seeing Mu Bai¡¯s cold expression warm up at his sycophant¡¯s ass-kissing, Ms. Tang Yue immediately understood some of the relations between Mo Fan and Mu Bai.


    On the outside, Ms. Tang Yue praised Mu Bai, looking at him and saying, ¡°He is indeed an excellent child.¡± Much to Mu Bai¡¯s elation. However, on the inside, she thought, ¡°Even so, there¡¯s something off about Mo Fan. I can definitely sense a lot of potential in him, so why¡¯s h-¡°


    Ms. Tang Yue¡¯s thoughts were cut off when a voice spoke over the intercoms. ¡°I need to emphasize before our next lesson that we will be conducting the end-of-semester magic examinations very soon. There are three points I want everyone to take note of¡ªfirst, those who do not pass the exam will be asked to leave the school; second, your grades will affect whether you will be admitted to the top class next year; and third, those who enter the top class will have the opportunity to use a stardust magic device.¡±


    *¡±A STARDUST MAGIC DEVICE!¡±* Mo Fan¡¯s attention was immediately drawn by the third point the speaker made, as it was exhilarating news to him. *¡±I¡¯ve read that using one greatly enhances the efficiency of one¡¯s magic training! I definitely need to get into the top class!¡±*


    Mo Fan was fully aware that training both lightning and fire magic would cost him in efficiency, since it could result in slow progress in both. Yet, a stardust magic device was exactly what he needed as someone who awakened two elements! Although he already put his all into training, Mo Fan promised himself that he¡¯d squeeze out all opportunities to train and get into the top class!


    Mu Bai, on the other hand, was having different thoughts. ¡°She will also be coming for this particular examination¡­ I definitely can¡¯t allow that bastard Mo Fan to reach any rank past last!¡±

 Chapter Eleven

    Chapter Eleven


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 11)


    Within a grand, indoor stadium, the entire Tian Lan Magic High School was gathered for the first-year students¡¯ magic examinations. In reality, the examinations could be taken privately because the only quality tested for was the strength of one¡¯s magical energy, which was tested with a simple magical device. Yet, all schools made big deals out of having students individually test in front of a large audience for the sake of putting on a pompous display, as it was the case that students had the opportunity to show off their power after the test. Various institutions and large magician families, like the Mu, used the occasion to show off the talent of their geniuses and recruit any that weren¡¯t already taken.


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s that girl down there?¡±


    ¡°WHAT? You don¡¯t recognize Mu Ningxue of the main Mu family branch?! Not only does she carry a prestigious name, but she¡¯s also an exceptional magician¡ªat just the age of fifteen, she was handpicked by the imperial magic academy for special admission!¡±


    ¡°Damn! She¡¯s THAT skilled?!¡±


    In the booth designated for the examination judges, the magicians who graded the students taking the examination, sat Mu Ningxue speaking to one of the judges, who was invited to inspire the Tian Lan Magic High students with her presence. Upon noticing Mu Ningxue, Xiao Hou nudged Mo Fan.


    ¡°Brother Fan, work hard so you can enroll in the Imperial Magic Academy! That way, the members of the Mu Family will stop caring so much about you and Mu Ningxue.¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s face stiffened at the mention of his personal business, but it didn¡¯t matter enough to complain about. Zhou Kun San, on the other hand¡­


    ¡°HA HA HA!¡± Mu Bai¡¯s sycophant, upon hearing Xiao Hou, bent over from laughing too hard. ¡°Should you really be talking about the imperial magic academy with someone who¡¯s about to get expelled?¡±


    Xiao Hou immediately rushed at Zhou Kun San, grabbing his jacket and headbutting him. Strangely, Zhou Kun San expected the attack and countered with his own headbutt, making the ordeal more painful for the both of them.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°HEY FATASS, WHO¡¯S GETTING EXPELLED, HUH?!¡±


    ¡°Obviously it¡¯s the person who was unable to cast magic during the practical magic class from two weeks ago~¡±


    Unbeknownst to the two loudmouths, their homeroom teacher stood near them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Mo Fan is going to be expelled, but if you two continue to cause trouble, I will ensure that both of you are expelled right now.¡±


    Next to Zhou Kun San, Mu Bai sneakily glanced at Mo Fan, thinking, ¡°Heh. Soon you¡¯ll be little more than a vagrant. As for me? I¡¯ll be publicly acknowledged as a genius!¡± Mu Bai remembered to a couple days prior at his family mansion when he spoke to his father.


    ¡°Mu Bai, Mu Ningxue will be there to spectate the upcoming examination. Don¡¯t disappoint us.¡± He was told. ¡°By the way, what ever happened to that wretch, Mo Fan?¡±


    At his father¡¯s mention of Mo Fan, Mu bai smirked. ¡°Him? He awakened a fire affinity but still hasn¡¯t been able to cast any magic. I think he¡¯ll be forced to drop out soon.¡±


    Lighting a cigar, his father laughed. ¡°Heh! I knew he wasn¡¯t suited for the noble world of magicians.¡± Mu He took a long puff from the cigar. ¡°However, just to be absolutely sure, I think it¡¯s only appropriate we prepare a special gift for him.¡±


    ¡°Next up¡ªMu Bai!¡±


    Mu Bai was summoned back to the present when he heard his name called by one of the examination judges.


    ¡°Young Master Mu Bai! Good luck! Show them who¡¯s boss!¡± Zhou Kun San¡¯s encouragement followed Mu Bai as he made his way to the stadium.


    ¡°No need to be nervous.¡± The judge told him, smiling. He was aware of Mu Bai¡¯s background and ice elemental affinity, expecting wonderful results. ¡°Simply place your hands on the orb and fill it with magical energy.¡±


    Standing in front of a glass-like sphere larger than his head, Mu Bai close his eyes, inhaled deeply, and placed his hands on the orb¡¯s surface, fully knowledgeable of the quality of his magical energy, reveling in the future he knew would come true¡ªhimself overshadowing every other magician, becoming the strongest.


    Filled with his magical energy, the orb glowed and sparkled a beautiful shade of light blue with such intensity that shocked everyone unaware of Mu Bai¡¯s talent. Displayed on a large monitor overheard the stadium was a picture of Mu Bai accompanied by some of his information like his name, class, and elemental affinity. Beside his photo appeared the ratings the judges had given him¡ªa total score of ten out of ten, the highest rating.


    Behind a large window within a private booth stood Mu He and Mu Ningxue, watching the examination results.


    ¡°Miss, what do you think of his magic ability?¡± Mu He wanted to gauge Mu Ningxue¡¯s opinion of Mu Bai, but Mu Ningxue did nothing to hide her boredom when she replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s average.¡±


    Down on the stadium, Mu Bai transitioned from taking the magical energy examination to the optional combat evaluation, which surprised no one. Most students with average magical energy ratings didn¡¯t bother, but almost everyone with a rating past seven out of ten did so.


    ¡°I request to take the magic casting test!¡±


    Looking forward to seeing Mu Bai¡¯s skill, one of the judges responded, ¡°You may begin when I land on the stadium.¡± Then, he jumped up and onto the stadium to face Mu Bai.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t think I can succeed, this will definitely boost my status.¡± Mu bai thought, as he stared at the judge on the other side of the stadium. The judge was a wind mage and his job was to dodge all attacks and throw some of his own, but only at the level of a beginner mage, the level the students were at.


    ¡°Good luck, Mu Bai.¡± The judged said, before performing a technique and shooting wind blades at Mu Bai.


    Having prepared for this mock battle, Mu Bai smiled, then cast his own spell.


    ¡°Ice vine!¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    Chapter Twelve


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 12)


    The short mock battles against the judges were always the most interesting events at the examination and members of the audience even had with them snacks from concession stands sprinkled throughout the building. A few students and teachers even brought with them bells, whistles, and banners to support their favorite students when they fought. One of them being Zhou Kun San.


    ¡°Go Young Master Mu Bai! You can do this!¡±


    Mu Bai appreciated having someone cheer for him, but the situation did not allow him to pay Zhou Kun San much attention. The wind mage he faced was at least intermediate stage and had much more combat prowess than him, forcing Mu Bai to put his all into the fight.


    The ice vine spell Mu Bai cast was a basic offensive spell which sent ice shooting along the ground to its target. However, Mu Bai didn¡¯t use it offensively, instead allowing the ice to build up into a large boulder in front of him to absorb the damage from the judge¡¯s wind blades. Instead of being sliced apart, the ice chunks thoroughly exploded, sending hundreds of thousands of ice particles into the air, clouding Mu Bai.


    ¡°Ooooh, smart! Using my attack to make cover for yourself.¡± The judge was impressed by Mu Bai¡¯s quick thinking and watched as the ice fog expanded, covering almost half of the stage. The judge could easily have used a gust of wind to scatter the fog, but he was supposed to go easy on the students, allowing them to fight for a little while to show off. Thus, instead of getting rid of the ice fog, the judge performed a technique which boosted his speed, then dodged a series of icicles which rushed at him from his left.


    ¡°Nice, Mu Bai! But you forgot one thing.¡± The judge chuckled when he saw Mu Bai through the hole in the fog his ice spell created. ¡°I can hide in the fog, too!¡±


    Mu Bai smiled from behind his cover as he felt the judge dive into the thousands of ice particles hanging in the air on his side of the arena.


    ¡°This is my chance!¡±


    To the judge¡¯s surprise, the ice fog around him dissipated slightly, spreading out just enough so that he and Mu Bai could make out each other¡¯s outlines.


    ¡°Ice vine!¡± Mu bai shouted, casting the spell multiple times. From around Mu Bai, several vines of ice snaked their way toward the judge, camouflaging slightly in the ice particle cloud.


    ¡°Crud!¡± The judge thought. ¡°That was pretty smart!¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mu Bai had slight control over his cloud of ice particles and used that fact to his utmost advantage. Knowing the judge was going easy on him and wouldn¡¯t disperse the fog, he waited until the judge jumped into it, at which point he spread the particles out just enough so that he could see the judge and his ice vines would be more difficult to make out within the cloud. Effectively giving himself the most advantage he could in an attempt to strike the judge with magic.


    The crowds watching the fight cheered at the amazing display of magic, rooting for Mu Bai to land a hit on the judge even if the chances of that happening were small.


    Within the ice particle cloud, the judge stayed calm, shooting wind blades at the incoming ice vines and shattering them. However, he misjudged the position of one of the ice vines, which forced him to dodge. Ice built up into a jagged spike in the spot where the judge previously stood, generating another cheer from the audience of students.


    Due to time constraints, the judge could not allow the mock battle to persist for too long, otherwise, they¡¯d take time away from the other students that needed their magical energy scored. Soon after Mu Bai¡¯s ice particle fog completely dissipated, the judge ended the fight, overwhelming Mu Bai with wind attacks and pushing him off the stage.


    ¡°You see that?!¡± Up in their seats, Zhou Kun San gloated to Mo Fan and Xiao Hou. ¡°That is the strength of Young Master Mu Bai!¡±


    Mo Fan looked down at Mu Bai, who, despite losing, smiled widely at his accomplishment of surprising the judge so many times. The sight of Mu Bai smiling happily didn¡¯t irk Mo Fan or anything like that. No, Mu Bai might have been an arrogant prick who looked down on him, but Mo Fan knew that he¡¯d gain nothing by seeing Mu Bai as his enemy when he¡¯d never been actively attacked by Mu Bai. After all, he¡¯d surpass Mu Bai and leave him in the dust eventually.


    ¡°Next¡ªMo Fan.¡± One of the judges called.


    ¡°Just focus on getting participation point. HA HA HA!¡± Zhou Kun San discouraged Mo Fan.


    ¡°Brother Fan, you got this! Get lost, Zhou Kun San!¡±


    Making his way down the stairs of the stadium, Mo Fan encountered Mu Bai heading to his seat. Of course, Mu Bai had something to say.


    ¡°How unfortunate, for a loser like you to be tested after me.¡± Mu Bai put no effort in masking his disdain Mo Fan as he spoke. ¡°However, there¡¯s o need for you to feel too much pressure. You¡¯ve almost reached the end of your line, after all. Just treat this as a formality. Heh.¡±


    Unfortunately for Mu Bai, Mo Fan didn¡¯t give a single shit about his insults and simply ignored him. When he reached the examination orb which sat beside the booth of mages in charge of the examination, one of the magicians told him to begin whenever he was ready.


    At the same time, in the Mu family¡¯s private booth, Mu Ningxue¡¯s expression stayed placid while Mu He smiled, looking forward to the next event.


    *¡±This is where my classmates learn that they underestimated me. Here I go!¡±*


    Mo Fan placed his hands on the examination orb and filled it with his fire aspect magical energy, making sure to keep his lightning affinity as quiet as possible. Although he¡¯d contemplated showing off his dual elements, Mo Fan ultimately decided the wisest choice was to keep that detail a secret in the case that he ever had to seriously fight anyone. A beginner magician using two elements would surprise anyone!


    *¡±Huh? Why did it¡­what happened?¡±*


    The orb under Mo Fan¡¯s hands flickered with red light slightly before dimming until no light was released at all. Immediately, whispers broke out in the stands, discussing the situation. The orb had never simply flickered a tiny bit before not releasing any light at all. Surely, they thought, Mo Fan had some capabilities. But if that were the case, why¡¯d the orb stay lifeless? Most assumed that Mo Fan really didn¡¯t have any magical capabilities.


    *¡±This isn¡¯t possible! I can summon the fire elemental star cluster and have aligned the seven stars! My magical energy is also of high quality! This orb has to have some kind of defect!¡±*


    Disappointed, the examination judge said, ¡°Zero of ten. You failed.¡±


    Frustrated, Mo Fan yelled, ¡°Examiner! There¡¯s something wrong with the orb! I¡¯ve already aligned all my stars!¡±


    Knitting his eyebrows, the examiner thought that Mo Fan was being desperate. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The orb barely showed a response. If you¡¯d really aligned your stars and were able to cast magic, we¡¯d have seen the orb release a ton of light.¡±


    ¡°Please leave the stage. Next¡ª¡±


    Interrupting the examiner, Mo Fan raised an arm above his head and shouted, ¡°Incinerate!¡±

 Chapter Thirteen

    Chapter Thirteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 13)


    Mystifying the examiners and other students, Mo Fan released a powerful fireball which shot up into the air and exploded, causing the air to rumble and quake. The eyes of those watching were quite comical to Mo Fan, which he did relish in slightly. He admitted to himself that the feeling of aweing a large crowd which previously doubted his magical capabilities was pleasant. Especially the examiners.


    ¡°Aah, my mistake, Mo Fan. You have clearly aligned all your stars. But¡­¡±


    The examiner wasn¡¯t the only person scratching their head in confusion. Far from it! The stands within the stadium were full of whispers, speculations of what had just occurred. They ranged from Mo Fan purposefully withholding his magical energy just to cause a stir to the idea that a powerful magician was actively sabotaging the exam.


    Yet, Mo Fan didn¡¯t need to go to such lengths as casting magic at the ceiling of the stadium and risk damaging school property, because the situation was clear to the more powerful individuals in the building. Particularly to Ms. Tang Yue, a few other teachers, and the principal.


    ¡°Student Mo Fan!¡± Suddenly, the attention of the entire stadium was pulled to a gray-haired and mustached man with a large build standing before the school¡¯s teachers atop a balcony reserved for school staff¡ªthe principal. The principal allowed a few seconds to pass, waiting for all talking to cease before he continued. ¡°Allow me to provide you an apology on Tian Lan Magic High School¡¯s behalf for the examiners¡¯ inability to see that that examination orb did not function properly.¡± The principal¡¯s words rang a bit harsh in the examiners¡¯ ears. To them, it was unfair that they were expected to notice when equipment they didn¡¯t understand malfunctioned! Hell, they thought, the situation was fine after Mo Fan displayed his fire magic. ¡°Of course, you may test again after I take a look at the orb.¡±


    Utilizing a technique, the principal shot down from the balcony he previously stood on and appeared beside Mo Fan, who jumped in fright at his sudden appearance.


    ¡°Heh heh. That¡¯s the reaction I always hope for.¡± The principal chuckled after seeing Mo Fan¡¯s expression and took a step toward the examination orb. With a single hand, the principal lifted the glass-like orb and investigated the pedestal it previously sat on. The principal¡¯s face quickly darkened as he noticed traces of a substance on the pedestal.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Damn! This is nullstone! And it¡¯s almost depleted!¡±


    His words were uttered loud enough for Mo Fan and the nearby examiners to hear, prompting the three examiners to shutter before exclaiming the same thing.


    ¡°Nullstone? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The principal made it sound dangerous. Could it be¡­?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the exam was really sabotaged?¡±


    Another round of whispers swept through the stands full of students while the teachers quietly discussed among themselves.


    ¡°I will be sure to investigate the root of this matter! As for you, student Mo Fan, please reexamine your magical energy with the orb.¡±


    On the surface, Mo Fan appeared confused while he thanked the principal for his assistance and stepped forward toward the orb, but underneath, Mo Fan fought the urge to smile coldly.


    *¡±Nullstone? That¡¯s the best those damned Mu could do? Then again, this IS a live examination, making it incredibly difficult to falsify records. Whatever. The plan might have worked if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯ve aligned my stars. If I hadn¡¯t, then I¡¯d have no evidence that I¡¯d made any progress in the quality of my magical energy.¡±*


    Mo Fan read about nullstone from the school¡¯s library, learning that it was a valuable substance which could absorb magical energy released by magicians and was heavily controlled by the government. However, nullstone was also very unstable and would go through a process similar to evaporation and disappear, leaving no trace of tampering on the orb.


    Although, that tiny bit of nullstone proved useless against Mo Fan because all it could do was absorb the magical energy Mo Fan directly injected into the examination orb. If Mo Fan hadn¡¯t aligned his stars like most of the other first-years, he¡¯d be forced to continue injecting energy into the orb, but no amount of his beginner magical energy would have elicited a response from the orb with the nullstone in place. Thankfully, he was already able to cast spells.


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡±


    Shouts and exclamations sounded from the audience of students as Mo Fan inserted his fire aspect magical energy into the examination orb once more, causing it to brightly shine with a crimson flare.


    ¡°That¡¯s my boy! Brother Fan, always making me proud!¡± Up in their seats, Xiao Hou prodded Zhou Kun San with his elbow. ¡°You see that? You see that?! What were you saying about Mo Fan earlier?!¡±


    Meanwhile, the other members of Mo Fan¡¯s class had very different reactions, shouting, ¡°Holy crap! Haven¡¯t we been calling Mo Fan a loser?! Not only can he cast magic but it¡¯s on par with if not even stronger than Mu Bai¡¯s ice! Ah, Young Master Mu!¡±


    Mu Bai pushed the loud student aside to get a better view of the stage, clear disbelief in his eyes as he wondered what went wrong. ¡°There¡¯s no way! He couldn¡¯t even control a single of his stars properly before this! Why¡­was he hiding his ability this whole time?!¡±


    After making sure his magical energy quality was rated ten of ten, Mo Fan was about to challenge one of the examiners when¡­


    ¡°Our Tian Lan High School truly has no shortage of exceptional students! Boy, your talents with fire are really something else. You should come train at the Mu family manor. I will grant you more resources to train with.¡±


    Incredulous at first, Mo Fan¡¯s expression transformed into one of rage as he turned around to see the hateful man who made him the offer. His fists clenched and his body trembled as he forced himself to look the man in his eyes, ready to smack his outstretched hand.


    ¡°Mu Zhuo Yun¡­ IT¡¯S YOU!¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    Chapter Fourteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 14)


    At the center of the stadium, with hundreds of eyes present to witness their exchange, Mu Zhuo Yun made his offer once more.


    ¡°So, young man, what is your answer?¡± Mu Zhuo Yun stood with his chin high, chest forward, and arms held behind him, exuding an aura as if to say, ¡°This is the best offer you¡¯ll ever receive. Choose wisely.¡±


    Still fuming, Mo Fan took a few seconds to suppress his fury as he attempted to control his violent urges. ¡°Go to Hell.¡± He managed to squeeze through his gritted teeth.


    Behind Mo Fan stood the principal of Tian Lan Magic High School, clearly worried about Mo Fan¡¯s lack of respect. ¡°Student Mo Fan¡­ Not only is he an honorary director of this school, but he¡¯s also the current chairman of the Mu family. With the support of him and his family, your strength will grow by leaps and bounds! No need to be so rash. Just think it ov-¡±


    Unable to hold himself back, Mo Fan interrupted the principal, yelling at Mu Zhuo Yun, ¡°I will never accept anything from the likes of you and your family! The Heavens will be sundered before I forgive you!¡±


    Mo Fan appeared to be on the verge of attacking the man, causing many to wonder what could have happened between them to elicit such a reaction.


    ¡°Student Mo Fan! Don¡¯t be unreasonable!¡± The principal firmly placed a hand on Mo Fan¡¯s shoulder and berated him for his behavior, trying to persuade him to apologize. It was then that Mu He came down from his personal booth and spoke with Mu Zhuo Yun.


    ¡°Elder brother, this Mo Fan is the scoundrel who abducted the young miss three years ago! At the time, you even sympathized with him! Who would¡¯ve thought that he would repay your kindness with such resentment?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, brother. I just think we should leave that in the past now that he¡¯s revealed himself to be a talent. Better if he joins us than opposes us.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Suddenly, Mo Fan noticed a figure approaching from the corner of his eye which brought stability to his mind. This was no longer a failed recruitment by the Mu family, it was then a Heaven-sent opportunity. With a change in perspective, Mo Fan lifted a hand to point at Mu Zhuo Yun before roaring, ¡°It¡¯s people like you that I hate the most! Suppressing the weak because you can and then switching faces once you see possible benefit!¡± By then, the entire audience of students sat on the edge of their seats, anticipating a grand show as a result of Mo Fan¡¯s disrespect. ¡°Listen to me, you old bastard! I¡¯m going to get back everything you owe me and my father!¡±


    ¡°Humph.¡± Mu Zhuo Yun snorted. ¡°Such impunity!¡± The man began releasing his potent magical energy, dropping the temperature of the entire stadium by tens of degrees. The various teachers and students wondered why Mo Fan had to open his mouth like he did, questioning if he had a death wish.


    At that moment, the approaching figure finally arrived, putting an arm out in front of Mu Zhuo Yun while facing Mo Fan.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t bother yourself with this. Let me handle it.¡±


    There, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue stood a few meters apart, glaring into each other¡¯s eyes. The tension was so thick that the nearby principal could almost see the complicated emotions boiling within the two students.


    Not wanting to take too long, Mo Fan spoke. ¡°Ah, I was so gullible back then that I believed your words.¡± He closed his eyes in an expression of self-pity for a bit before returning to his previous glare. ¡°You members of the Mu family are all cut from the same ugly cloth!¡±


    Then, he did the unthinkable.


    ¡°Fire¡­ INCINERATE!¡±


    Mo Fan lifted both arms in the casting of the spell, pouring his magical energy into an imposing fireball which even caused some students to gasp.


    Yet¡­


    ¡°Ice vine. FREEZE!¡±


    Out from Mu Ningxue poured an even more dazzling display of magic as a deathly cold put out the attack and then went on to hit Mo Fan, causing ice to form over parts of his body as he fell to his knees, nearly frozen.


    ¡°Apologize to my father!¡± She yelled.


    ¡°Dream¡­ DREAM ON!¡±


    To Mo Fan¡¯s surprise, it was Mu Zhuo Yun¡¯s turn to hold Mu Ningxue back. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Ningxue. I know what he¡¯s so upset about.¡± Then he turned to the principal, who still stood shocked at the events which transpired in front of him.


    ¡°Principal, how about this? I have a foster son named Yu Ang who is about the same age as Mo Fan. Since he wants to pick a fight, why don¡¯t we let them duel each other when they both come of age? If Mo Fan wins, I¡¯ll owe him a favor and fulfill any one request.¡±


    Mu Zhuo Yun¡¯s wish to move on from that bit of drama with Mo Fan while also ensuring Mo Fan¡¯s future punishment was not lost on the principal, but he had no choice but to agree with his idea. After all, Mo Fan had publicly offended one of the most powerful families in the city with no regard to his own safety. The principal neither had a reason nor the power to assist Mo Fan any more than that.


    ¡°T-that would be fine.¡±


    Already using his magical energy to melt the ice off his body, Mo Fan stuttered, ¡°Th-that¡¯s exactly what I w-wanted!¡±


    Turning to leave, Mu Zhuo Yun said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ningxue.¡± Then thought, ¡°What an arrogant brat. You¡¯ll get exactly what you deserve in three years from now!¡±


    At their retreating figures, Mo Fan yelled, ¡°I¡¯m going to win that fight! Just you wait!¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    Chapter Fifteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 15)


    ¡°Who could have guessed that Mo Fan, our unassuming classmate¡­would actually be stronger than Mu Bai?!¡± Thought Zhou Min, the fire magician with the ponytail who achieved a rating of nine of ten in magical energy quality and was ranked 4<sup>th</sup> among her peers.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like that one saying¡ªthere¡¯s always a bigger fish!¡± Thought Xu Zhaoting, the lightning magician also rated nine of ten while ranked 3<sup>rd</sup>.


    ¡°I¡­placed¡­SECOND! HOW HUMILIATING!¡± Mu Bai screamed in his thoughts, grimacing at the knowledge that he was rated lower than Mo Fan.


    ¡°This¡­ Is this the scent of academic success? I might just faint at its seductive aroma!¡± Thought He Yu, a water magician with a magical energy quality rating of eight of ten and ranked 34<sup>th</sup>. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever been placed into a top class! If all goes well, I¡¯ll be able to enroll in Pearl Magic Academy and aim for even greater heights!¡± He Yu¡¯s cheeks were rosy with excitement as she daydreamed of what the future had in store for her, overjoyed with how she managed to enter the top class as a second-year.


    ¡°Classmate~ Classmate~¡±


    He Yu felt a finger prodding her shoulder from behind and turned to see a fellow student smiling at her.


    ¡°Hello~ My name is Zhang Xiao Hou and I¡¯m a wind mage. What about you?¡±


    Suddenly, Zhang Xiao Hou paused, seeming to remember something as he pointed at a student seated closer to the front.


    ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s my bro, Mo Fan, the guy who scored first on exams. I¡¯m sure you know who he is!¡±


    He Yu was too excited to see how Zhang Xiao Hou was using his friend¡¯s fame to get closer to her as she comprehended the words that came out of his mouth. ¡°You¡­ You know Mo Fan?! The top student in our grade?!¡± Just the idea of being ranked high enough to enter the top class of her grade was enough to send shivers of joy down her spine. Being ranked first? Only the most talented of magicians would even rank in the top ten! To be first? She couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We grew up together and we¡¯re suuuuuuuper close!¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xiao Hou, you¡¯ve just entered a new class and you¡¯ve already started blabbering? You¡¯re a second-year now!¡±


    ¡°M-Mr. Xue... Good morning! Ha ha¡­¡±


    The magical energy quality examinations at the end of the school year resumed as usual after Mo Fan¡¯s spectacle, and when the students were ranked, Mo Fan came in first place despite not having fought one of the examiners. He had the same magical energy quality rating as Mu Bai, but the few attacks he displayed, although under strange circumstances, clearly exhibited more power and finer control than Mu Bai¡¯s, resulting in the examiners giving him a higher score.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Now, Mo Fan, Xiao Hou, and the rest of the top-ranked students of their year sat in their new classroom as second-year students, coincidentally with the same teacher from their homeroom the year before.


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± He Yu continued, ¡°I¡¯m He Yu and my element is water. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    Too ecstatic by the look of respect and interest he received after revealing he was friends with Mo Fan, all Xiao Hou could muster was, ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Stop with the whispering back there!¡± Glaring at Xiao Hou after reaching the front of the classroom, Mr. Xue began addressing the class. ¡°Now then¡­ Even though you are all among the best and brightest of our nation¡¯s future magicians, this is all still only the beginning.¡± Mr. Xue set down the suitcase he¡¯d brought with him into the room on his desk, slowly opening it. ¡°Every magician wants to increase the efficiency of his or her magical training.¡±


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s actually a¡­¡±


    ¡°My goodness!¡±


    The students began leaning forward in their seats, staring at the contents of the suitcase with awe and wonder.


    ¡°As such, stardust acceleration equipment is something that every buddy magician dreams of obtaining.¡±


    Fully open, the suitcase revealed three metal rings of silver covered in crisscrossing lines¡ªbracelets.


    ¡°These damned kids¡­ It takes a stardust acceleration device to get them to pay attention!¡± Mr. Xue was irritated by how the students behaved, but he didn¡¯t let it show on his face as he continued speaking. ¡°Stardust devices are extremely expensive. In addition, our class has only three. When you¡¯re using them, please make sure to treat them with care! From here, I will be distributing this equipment out to the class. We¡¯ll start with the students with the highest scores on the recent examination. Mo Fan, step up to receive a device.¡±


    As Mo Fan walked up to Mr. Xue to accept the valuable bracelet, whispers arose in parts of the class¡ªthe students prone to gossiping revealing themselves. It being the case that young magicians, especially those at the top of the power hierarchy of those their age, were fiercely competitive, discussions broke out about various topics regarding the top-ranked second-year student.


    ¡°Yo, look at Mu Bai. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a shadow hanging over his face! But, I don¡¯t blame him. When a guy as powerful as Mo Fan is in the same grade, what can you do but hand over the title of Number One?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know man. Mu Bai showed some pretty good skills when sparring against that wind mage examiner. Even if Mo Fan¡¯s attacks are more powerful, a strong sense for battle can be the winning factor in a real fight.¡±


    Ignoring the whispers, Mr. Xue presented Mo Fan with the stardust accelerator device. ¡°Make good use of it, Mo Fan.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    *¡±As someone who has to train two elements at once, the value of this device simply can¡¯t be overstated! Even without it, I am considered a genius! Now that I can increase my efficiency¡­¡±*


    Mo Fan was on his way back to his seat, smiling and giddily chuckling when he passed Mu Bai, who scoffed, ¡°That¡¯s nothing more than an ordinary stardust accelerator, yet here you are, looking at it like it¡¯s your baby or something.¡± The loathing Mu Bai felt for Mo Fan was clear to everyone that heard him, but no one was surprised. Mo Fan chose to actively offend the members of the Mu family during the examinations, showing that he had some bad history with them. For Mu Bai to detest Mo Fan just seemed natural to them.


    However, the surrounding classmates could not keep quiet when Mo Fan retorted.


    ¡°Oh? Ha ha¡­¡± Mo Fan¡¯s lips formed a cruel smile as he looked down at Mu Bai from where he stood. ¡°Of COURSE you¡¯d have a problem with me acquiring a stardust accelerator to the point of uselessly posturing. After all¡­¡± He began slyly chuckling and released just enough magical energy from his body to warm the air around him to suit the atmosphere. ¡°If I can already take first place with no training resources at my disposal from someone backed by a powerful family, you stand no chance at even reaching my feet now that I have such resources.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lying on his bed back in his dormitory, Mo Fan absentmindedly stared at the stardust accelerator bracelet in his hands as he recalled the conversation with Xiao Hou after classes ended that day. Mo Fan had remembered that Mu Bai referred to the stardust accelerator he received as ¡°ordinary¡± and asked Xiao Hou about it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Weird, considering how many times I¡¯ve seen you at the library studying magic¡­ Magic equipment comes in different grades. For example, spirit-grade equipment is the next grade after the so-called ¡°ordinary¡± stuff like the bracelet you got. The increased efficiency in training that you can get with spirit-grade equipment is more than double than what you have! I heard Mu Ningxue has such equipment.¡± Xiao Hou told him.


    *¡±Well, knowing that there¡¯s better equipment doesn¡¯t really help me when I can¡¯t obtain it. However, I now have a goal to strive towards!¡±*


    Mo Fan once more stared at the bracelet which he spun it on a finger, watching as the light from his bedroom lamp shined off its silvery surface.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Mo Fan lost control of the bracelet when he spun it too hard, causing it to fall on his chest, colliding with his dragon pendant and causing sparks to fly and some kind of magical disturbance.


    Then¡­the stardust accelerator shattered.

 Chapter Sixteen

    Chapter Sixteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 16)


    Mo Fan¡¯s eyes went blank, as though he¡¯d witnessed a horrifying cosmic creature, unable to grasp the situation. The pieces of the stardust accelerator laid scattered across his chest and bed, ruined.


    *¡±LIKE MY FUTURE IF I DON¡¯T FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THIS!¡±*


    Mo Fan finally awoke from his trance of terror, quickly sitting up to collect the pieces of the once-valuable bracelet.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no no no no no no no nonononoono nooooooooo!¡±


    Nearing the point of tears, Mo Fan was on the verge of a panic attack. The stardust accelerator device he¡¯d received from his homeroom teacher was an indescribably useful item for someone like him. Having one more element than everyone else might have been an overall advantage in life as a magician, but the extra element cost Mo Fan, even with his impressive talent, most of his time. Thankfully, he was able to manifest magic with both his elements at a rate considered incredible with just one, but Mo Fan needed every magical training resource he could get if he wanted to compete with the abundant resources of large families like the Mu.


    Yet, the stardust accelerator which laid in pieces around him was much more than just lost resources. No, it could very well be a roadblock on his journey to greatness which took him years to recover from.


    ¡°These stardust accelerators are extremely valuable, so practice with utmost care while using them. If you damage one, you will be expelled.¡± Were the terse words of his teacher.


    *¡±What will I do if I¡¯m expelled?! Will I be the first top-ranked student to be expelled from Tian Lan High School?! Would another school take me in after breaking such an important item?!?!?!?!?!?!?!¡±


    ¡°G-get a hold of yourself¡­this can¡¯t be the end¡­this won¡¯t be the end¡­there are options¡­¡±


    He spent a minute breathing deeply, stabilizing his mind, reviewing his options. When he calmed, he replayed the situation in his mind.


    *¡±Okay. I dropped the bracelet onto my chest¡­but it shouldn¡¯t have broken. The metal it¡¯s made of isn¡¯t that soft.¡±*


    Mo Fan played with a few pieces of the stardust accelerator, testing their durability, finding that the metal wasn¡¯t at all weak.


    *¡±I remember hearing a ding, like, the bracelet hit another piece of metal.¡±*


    He brought a hand to his chest and lifted the coiled dragon pendant which hung on a string.


    *¡±It definitely collided with the pendant Old Man¡­Ying gave me.¡±*


    Mo Fan released a woeful sigh as he recalled the important events which originally caused him to be in his situation, not yet having gotten over not being able to help the old man who died in his arms.


    *¡±Anyway¡­ I have one option to try out before I resort to arguing with the school about my punishment.¡±*If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mo Fan safely stored the remains of the stardust accelerator in a drawer before heading down to his dorm room¡¯s lobby.


    ¡­¡­


    Lying on a queen-size bed was a voluptuous woman with long, dark-brown hair, her attention fully occupied by the phone in her hand as she watched a video of kittens stumbling around in grass. Suddenly, to her great annoyance, her phone vibrated and cut from the video of adorable kittens to display an incoming call from a strange number.


    ¡°Huh? A number from one of the school dorms?¡± An eyebrow raised as her irritation changed to curiosity, wondering why anyone would call from there. She answered the call and brought the phone to the side of her face. ¡°Hello. Who is this?¡±


    A shaky male voice answered, causing more questions to arise. ¡°H-hello, Ms. Tang Yue? This is Mo Fan... Um¡­¡±


    Hearing the hesitation in Mo Fan¡¯s voice when he paused for too long, Tang Yue¡¯s irritation arose again. ¡°Yes? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Though she did her best to keep the irritation out of her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point¡­¡± Tang Yue heard Mo Fan gulp as he seemed to gather his courage to speak. ¡°My, my stardust accelerator¡­it broke.¡±


    ¡°IT BROKE?!¡±


    After quickly arranging a place to meet to discuss the situation, Tang Yue dressed as quickly as she could and bolted through her apartment building down to her car, which she angrily drove near the speed limit until she arrived at Mo Fan¡¯s dormitory. Still fuming, she marched to the highest floor, opening the door to the rooftop to find Mo Fan sitting on the ground clutching himself in a state of fear. He deserved it for breaking something so expensive, she thought.


    ¡°Mo Fan.¡± This time, Tang Yue held nothing from her voice as she spoke. ¡°Show me the stardust accelerator device and explain the situation.¡± Arms crossed and back straight, Tang Yue did the best she could to intimidate Mo Fan, letting him know that he¡¯d placed himself in a very bad spot. It wasn¡¯t a joke when Tian Lan Magic High School¡¯s teachers told their students they¡¯d be expelled for damaging the precious stardust accelerators, and Tang Yue was big on following the rules. If Mo Fan had been negligent or stupid, she¡¯d report the case immediately.


    Yet, Tang Yue wasn¡¯t heartless. She understood that sometimes problems plaguing someone aren¡¯t their fault. It¡¯s possible that Mo Fan wasn¡¯t responsible for the destruction of the device, and she¡¯d help him if that were the case. That¡¯s why she bothered meeting him and having him explain, rather than letting the school take care of it.


    Tang Yue sternly watched as Mo Fan scrambled to rise, nearly tripping and slamming his face into the concrete on his way to her. When he arrived, he nervously reached into his pocket and produced a plastic bag, presenting it with both hands, allowing her to get a clear view of the many pieces that once made up a costly item.


    ¡°Strange¡­ Considering how it¡¯s in so many pieces, this is likely not his fault¡­ Huh.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s expression relaxed a bit as she mentally simulated various ways to ruin the stardust accelerator to such an extent. She was aware of its durability and knew that if a student damaged it, it would most likely be from dropping the device from really high in the air or soaking it in a corrosive chemical solution. However, neither method of destruction would leave it in so many pieces. ¡°Maybe a tree or a heavy block of stone nearly crushed him but only got the bracelet? If it was something like that, he couldn¡¯t really be held accountable.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Mo Fan did his best to suppress his shaking as he held up the plastic bag full of pieces from what used to be a valuable device.


    *¡±I hope she¡¯s understanding¡­¡±*


    He¡¯d decided to approach her with his situation due to one factor¡ªMs. Tang Yue was one of the nicest teachers he knew, but not only because of how she taught, but because of what she¡¯d told him after the magical energy examinations ended. Shed approached him to reassure him that, with the talent he¡¯d displayed for magic so far, he had a decent chance at winning in the competition against the Mu family in the coming years, but only if he worked really hard and took full advantage of all free time and resources at his disposal. She even gave him her personal phone number in the case that he wanted to spar, since they were both fire mages.


    Mo Fan appreciated the gesture so much that she was the only person he thought of that could help him in his situation.


    ¡°Ms. Tang Yue, it¡¯s really not my fault.¡± He began, speaking the lines he¡¯d mentally rehearsed while waiting for her arrival. ¡°It just shattered upon contact with my pendant!¡±


    His words caused Ms. Tang Yue to look down at his unassuming necklace, weighing the veracity of his statement as she lifted a hand to clasp the coiled dragon and released magical energy to inspect the object.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Mo Fan couldn¡¯t help but blush when Ms. Tang Yue stepped closer to examine his pendant. She was, after all, a peerless beauty capable enough to inspire men with an angry expression. As a young man, her charms overcame his dread.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Mo Fan thought he heard Ms. Tang Yue chuckle softly when she finally released his necklace, but couldn¡¯t be sure due to his mess of a mind at the time. ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky, Mo Fan, to be in possession of a growth-type stardust accelerator.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Mo Fan struggled to take in the teacher¡¯s words and the importance behind them, too confused even to notice how her demeanor changed completely from angry and terse to relaxed and somewhat merry.


    ¡°Exactly what I said. You have somehow obtained a stardust accelerator of such value that it can become stronger.¡± Ms. Tang Yue uncrossed an arm to point at Mo Fan¡¯s pendant and then at the bag of stardust accelerator pieces. ¡°It can absorb the capabilities of other stardust devices, using them to become stronger, leaving them broken from having their power sucked dry.¡±


    Slowly, Mo Fan pieced his thoughts together. ¡°Then¡­can it eventually reach the next level, spirit-grade?!¡± Mo Fan¡¯s heartbeat accelerated and his breaths quickened.


    Ms. Tang Yue shrugged. ¡°Of course it can. However, it¡¯d need to absorb energy from certain sources.¡± Then, Ms. Tang Yue suddenly leaned forward and placed a finger on Mo Fan¡¯s chin. ¡°But more importantly, where exactly did you get your hands on such a peerless treasure? In this entire city, only the strongest families, like the Mu, possess equipment of this type.¡±

 Chapter Seventeen

    Chapter Seventeen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 17)


    ¡°Uhh, I¡­¡± The moment he felt his teacher¡¯s touch, even though it was just a single finger, Mo Fan¡¯s mind began going blank before he remembered Old Man Ying, panicked, and managed to collect himself a bit.


    *¡±That¡¯s right, get your shit together, me! Now that I know the pendant is so valuable the fact that Ms. Tang Yue knows about it¡­could be very bad. She could be acting like this because she wants to take it from me! I can¡¯t let Old Man Ying¡¯s memento end up in someone else¡¯s hands!¡±*


    Not embarrassed anymore, but still not thinking straight, Mo Fan looked down at the finger holding up his chin before looking up to stare directly into Ms. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes. Then, he readied himself for combat, summoning both star clusters within his soul realm and preparing his mind to cast spells as quickly as possible. There being less than a meter between them combined with the speed of his lightning, he could likely wound a much stronger, unprepared mage like Ms. Tang Yue, though at the cost of taking some of the damage due to the close proximity.


    To Mo Fan¡¯s surprise, Ms. Tang Yue immediately noticed his strangely quick conversion from embarrassed to serious and slowly dropped her hand, returning to a stance of crossed arms.


    ¡°I can see how you misinterpreted that. Sorry.¡± She said, seemingly genuinely apologetic.


    Suddenly, Mo Fan understood what he¡¯d prepared to do, a realization which scared him. He¡¯d readied himself to kill his teacher on the basis that she wanted an item he had, an item which contained immense sentimental value, but wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary. Normally, Mo Fan would think of protecting it at all costs, but¡­what had he approached Ms. Tang Yue for?


    *¡±That¡¯s right¡ªthe stardust accelerator broke and I asked her for help, yet here I am, willing to attempt to kill her if it means protecting my treasure. Maybe the pendant is the price I pay for receiving her assistance and not getting expelled¡­¡±*


    A tremendous amount of guilt befell Mo Fan, contorting his expression to look as though he were in pain, causing Ms. Tang Yue to worry in turn. His feelings were experiencing one hell of a rollercoaster in response to his mental conflictions.


    ¡°Mo Fan, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not trying to take your necklace from you. In fact, even if I were to take it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use it.¡± Ms. Tang Yue smiled wryly, seemingly apologizing for outing his thoughts. ¡°I could sense that your treasure is connected to you by a very powerful bond. As for the details¡­I have no clue.¡±


    She allowed Mo Fan a little while to relax, watching as he switched back from deadly serious to embarrassed, however, for a different reason that time. Once he steadied his mind and calmed his nerves, Ms. Tang Yue continued.


    ¡°Also, as far as I can tell, your treasure will be as worthless as a lump of copper without soul essence to feed on.¡± She paused to watch Mo Fan¡¯s cute reaction when he learned that his treasure wasn¡¯t yet helping him. ¡°You should have learned this in class, but I¡¯ll recap. Immediately after a monster dies, its soul will hover near its body for a short while and emit a special light. That, then, is soul essence.¡± Ms. Tang Yue pointed at the plastic baggie of scraps Mo Fan still held on to. ¡°Stardust accelerators are very complicated and require many things to build and soul essence is a major part of the manufacturing process. Your growth-type treasure stole what it could from the school¡¯s stardust accelerator and became more efficient at its job. As for how well it works at the moment or how much soul essence is required to bring it to spirit-grade, I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Processing the spectacular news, Mo Fan felt the urge to bounce around in joy and hug the teacher in thanks but managed to control himself. Yet, the excitement in his eyes was crystal clear Ms. Tang Yue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up too much.¡± Her voice held a little bit of the sternness from before. ¡°Killing monsters is, by no means, easy. Doing so may strengthen your treasure, but don¡¯t throw your life away in greed.¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s mood was immediately dampened, but because he managed to predict her next words, bits of the exhilaration stayed.


    ¡°You mean, not until I get stronger.¡± No trace of his earlier confusion could be found in his voice. Knowing that, as long as he had the pendant, killing monsters would just make him stronger, things like his upcoming fight with a member of the Mu family didn¡¯t concern him nearly as much. After all, upgrading the Heaven-sent pendant was a long-term goal. Even he knew that spirit-grade was not the limit to magic equipment.


    ¡°Yes. Not until you get stronger.¡± Ms. Tang Yue turned and walked to the edge of the rooftop to lean on the guard rail. ¡°And there will be two months of practical training in the wild nearing the school year¡¯s end. That will be a majorly important opportunity for you to train.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°I also trust that you¡¯re aware of the attempt to sabotage your exam a little while back. Be careful, don¡¯t let anyone know of the treasure.¡± To Mo Fan¡¯s confusion and fright, Ms. Tang Yue hopped over the roof¡¯s guard rail, standing on the thin slice of concrete between the rail and the edge. ¡°Lastly, I¡¯ll take care of the stardust accelerator issue.¡± She reached forward and grabbed the plastic bag from Mo Fan¡¯s hand before jumping backwards, falling off the roof.


    Eyes wide in surprise, Mo Fan resisted the urge to scream, reminding himself that Ms. Tang Yue was a powerful magician, then silently thanked her for her aid.


    *¡±It turns out that going to her for help was the right choice. Thank you very much, Ms. Tang Yue.¡±*


    ¡­¡­


    Half a year later, Mo Fan comfortably sat beside Xiao Hou, his eyes lazily watching the scenery flash by from the bus window to his right. The setting was one which should have excited him more, but he¡¯d already spent enough time jumping around in anticipation for that day and accomplished the feat of relaxing.


    ¡°Once again, students, the location for your two months of practical training will be the Xuefeng Mountains Military Post. Mr. Xue and I would like to wish you all the best, and hope that you will pass this practical training with flying colors!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll reiterate that there are monsters in the wilderness beyond this post! Those who are unable to hold their own against the monsters are prohibited from leaving the safe zone.¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes ma¡¯am and sir!¡±¡±¡±


    Since the bus was nearing its destination, Ms. Tang Yue and Mr. Xue repeated the information they gave before the ride began.


    At that same moment¡­


    *¡±What¡¯s this?!¡±*


    Mo Fan was shaken out of his relaxed state when he felt a kind of tugging feeling from his soul realm, entering it to investigate.


    *¡±The stars under my control are agitated! Is this¡­ I hope this is the sign of advancing to the second level that we briefly talked about in class!¡±*


    Although Mo Fan¡¯s class touched on the subject of advancing to the second level of the beginner stage, they did not learn much of it. The students of his class were all in the first level, but even by a normal genius¡¯ standard, they were not yet nearing level two and still had quite a bit of time before they needed to worry about advancing¡­except for Mo Fan.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Damn! This view is spectacular!¡±


    ¡°This forest is so beautiful and brimming with life. I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that it was rife with monsters if I hadn¡¯t been told¡­¡±


    Xiao Hou and Mo Fan expressed their awe upon exiting their bus and looking out over the sea of trees below them. The sight easily took their breath away with how it contrasted so much with the cityscape they were so used to. In their hearts, they promised themselves that they¡¯d someday live near such a scene of beauty as the forested mountains.


    ¡°Heh, what, are you scared?¡± From behind Mo Fan and Xiao Hou approached Mu Bai and Zhou Kun San, seemingly interpreting Mo Fan¡¯s state of admiration of nature for weakness and fear of the monsters which lurked in the forest¡¯s shadow.


    Amused, Mo Fan turned around to look Mu Bai in the eye. ¡°Oh? You dare to insult the Heavens above you? It seems you still haven¡¯t learned to hold your tongue when in the presence of a superior mage.¡±


    The fact that Mo Fan didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about Mu Bai couldn¡¯t be stated enough. He felt nothing from Mu Bai¡¯s insults and only saw in him an opportunity for target practice.


    ¡°W-WHAT DI-¡°


    Before Mu Bai could finish, he, Xiao Hou, Mo Fan, and Zhou Kun San suddenly felt the casting of a spell and heat approaching their position. The four of them immediately scattered, jumping in different directions but not managing to escape all the fireball''s power as they felt a weak shockwave strike them, dizzying them.

 Chapter Eighteen

    Chapter Eighteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 18)


    ¡°What, who did that?!¡±


    ¡°Enemy fire?!¡±


    Of the four teens, only Mu Bai and Mo Fan reacted quickly enough to keep their balance and remain standing while Zhou Kun San and Xiao Hou fell on their bottoms.


    ¡°Did any of you listen when Mr. Xue and I warned you of the dangers you¡¯ll be facing?!¡±


    The teens¡¯ attention were pulled to their angry teacher, Ms. Tang Yue, who stood beside their bus with fireballs floating around her, primed and ready to teach them another lesson.


    ¡°You will be training here for two months, and I that time, you¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to get yourselves killed! One such way is starting conflicts with other students, creating distractions from your goal of survival, and dying to a sneak attack! I will not stand for any division within the students!¡±


    Despite having seen her angry half a year before when he broke school-issued the stardust accelerator, the sight of such a kind, attentive, and hot teacher threatening to burn him alive caused him to gulp. Less needed to be said about the other three Ms. Tang Yue threatened, as they¡¯d never seen their teacher act so violently.


    ¡°Do I make myself clear?!¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Now shake hands and apologize to each other.¡±


    Immediately, the four became uncomfortable, sharing uneasy looks. That moment of hesitation seemed to be enough for Ms. Tang Yue to consider their actions defiant, because a fireball above her shoulder began growing in size as though warning the boys that they had few options.


    Seeing the threat, their self-preservation instincts kicked in and they quickly stood before one another and extended a hand. Mo Fan to Mu Bai, and Zhou Kun San to Xiao Hou.


    ¡°My apologies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.


    ¡°Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°It was my fault.¡±


    Although none of them meant their words, Ms. Tang Yue harrumphed and dispelled her fireballs before ordering, ¡°Now catch up with the rest of your class.¡±


    After the four reunited with their class at the military post, they gave their attention to a bulky man in a green uniform with long, brown hair who stood in front of other mages in the same garb. He was the highest-ranked officer and most powerful officer at the post.


    ¡°I will be your lead instructor for this combat training exercise! My name is Zhankong!¡± The man pointed to an area in the distance to his left. As the post was situated beside a cliff, Zhankong was pointing at land far below where they stood. ¡°Your training will begin tomorrow in that crater down there.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The entire group of students turned to see the area he spoke of, confirming that there was indeed a massive crater in the forest below.


    ¡°Your training will be made up of many things including normal physical exercises, but tomorrow we¡¯ll be starting you off with a monster bounty without any adult assistance that will take place in Herbage Valley.¡±


    As though it were practiced, everyone in the class grew frightened, eyes wide in disbelief, and began speaking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Finally, one of the students, Xu Zhaoting, spoke up to Zhankong.


    ¡°Instructor¡­you are joking, right?! I¡¯ve heard that even the easiest monster bounties require at least three experienced members of a hunter squad to complete! You¡¯re just going to throw us out into the wilderness?! We¡¯re all only at the first stage!¡±


    Xu Zhaoting¡¯s worries and point were reasonable, as monster hunters were mostly in the second and third stage with tons of experience fighting a variety of monsters and knowledge of their behavior. Sometimes it wasn¡¯t only power which won a fight, but intellect and resourcefulness built up from years of training.


    ¡°And?¡± The callousness in his voice was apparent. ¡°You students need an experience like this. Otherwise, you¡¯ll become arrogant, unbeknownst to the fact that the difference between you and monsters is great. You need to learn how easily they can tear you apart firsthand.¡±


    Unable to refute, the students quieted and let him continue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the grading for your bounty tomorrow. If even one of you can complete the task, your entire class will pass. Otherwise, you all fail.¡±


    Again, the class was shocked, because the results of that exercise affected a long of things, including their ability to graduate that year. However, when they raised their protests¡­


    ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!¡± Zhankong¡¯s mighty roar instantly quieted the students. ¡°Those who are unwilling to take part can retreat like cowards and fail! I have no interest in training trash! Though, yes, this exercise will be difficult.¡± Zhankong suddenly toned down his dominant aura, allowing the students to breathe. ¡°If a student of you manages to do most of the work when completing the task, I will personally reward them with a defensive magic treasure.¡±


    For the third time, the students found themselves gaping at Zhankong¡¯s words. Of course, their reaction was warranted, as almost all magic tools for fighting were luxuries and the standard was that mages needed only to depend on their own capabilities. If the instructor really awarded a student with a defensive magic treasure¡­that was extravagance they didn¡¯t even expect from their school!


    ¡°Hey, Zhankong,¡± one of the men beside Zhankong leaned toward him, ¡°you¡¯re giving away a magic tool¡ªare you out of your mind? Still, that¡¯s quite the prize. Why don¡¯t you let our guys handle it?¡±


    Scowling, Zhankong asked, ¡°Oh? Should I feed you with a spoon, too?¡± Then he turned back to the students. ¡°For now, you are all to enter the post and get yourselves ready. Tomorrow, we will sort you into groups and send you on your way!¡±


    The next day, Zhou Min, Xiao Hou, Xu Zhoating, Mo Fan, He Yu, and Zhou Kun San were chosen for a team.


    ¡°Mo Fan, you are this group¡¯s leader while Zhou Min will be your deputy.¡± Mr. Xue announced. ¡°Once you¡¯ve readied your supplied, head out right away.¡±


    Then, Mr. Xue handed Zhou Min a map. Just like that, the six students were expected to traverse the wilderness by following the map to their destination and hunt down monsters. Everything about the situation filled the students with dread, but what could they do about it? Forget about graduating, they wanted to grow stronger. They were aware that living their school lives as so-called magic geniuses and being pampered would soften them, leaving them unprepared for the real world if they wanted to continue on the path to greatness. Yes, they could give up the pursuit of strength for a steady life which involved magic, like teaching or construction work, but that wasn¡¯t what they wanted. It wasn¡¯t the most they could achieve and they knew it, unwilling to settle for anything less than the most possible.


    ¡­¡­


    Ten days later, Mo Fan¡¯s group were deep in the wilderness, still following a path they thought would have ended a long time ago.


    ¡°How much further do we have to go?¡± He Yu asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing but trees and mountains here. I¡¯m so booooooooored!¡±


    ¡°Well, last time we checked, the map said the destination is thirty kilometers away.¡± Replied Xu Zhaoting.


    Trudging behind the two, Xiao Hou complained, ¡°It isn¡¯t just thirty kilometers of walking, though. We also have to climb steep rock faces and cut through vegetation at times¡­¡±


    Even farther behind than Xiao Hou and having the most difficulty keeping up, Zhou Kun San said, ¡°If I called the shots¡­I¡¯d¡­have us take¡­breaks all¡­the time! After all¡­I¡¯m sure¡­that the Young¡­Master Mu Bai¡­will be¡­the one to¡­complete the mission!¡±


    It being the umpteenth time Zhou Kun San made that claim, no one bothered to refute or chastise him, simply keeping their pace and having conversations about whatever topic came to mind. Despite the fact that they¡¯d been hiking for ten days, foraging for food, doing their business in the trees, and slowly working their leg muscles to death, the group didn¡¯t have too bad of a time. Except for Zhou Kun San, Mu Bai¡¯s sycophant. His dislike of Mo Fan and Xiao Hou prevented him from interacting much with the rest of the group.


    Eventually, after climbing hundreds of rough, stone stairs, they ran into their first major problem.


    ¡°How are we going to deal with this?¡± Xu Zhaoting asked with a tired voice.


    Catching up with him and Mo Fan, Zhou Min asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matte-¡° before abruptly stopping and looking on in disbelief at the massive ravine situated before them.


    ¡°Its walls are steep and the other side is at least twenty-five meters¡­¡±


    When the rest of the group caught up, they unanimously decided that it was time for a break.

 Chapter Nineteen

    Chapter Nineteen


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 19)


    Sitting in a circle a few meters from the cliff¡¯s edge, the six group members took some time to relax before worrying about the gorge. Unfortunately for the other five members, Zhou Kun San decided to open his mouth to complain.


    ¡°I told you guys from the start that we should just cruise along and let Mu Bai handle all the work! We¡¯ll end up passing either way! You guys just wouldn¡¯t listen! How in the world are we going to cross this?!¡±


    It was clear to everyone that Zhou Kun San was terrified by the prospect of crossing the gorge, but no one cared enough to point that out and cause him to blubber more.


    ¡°Shut up, Zhou Kun San!¡± Mo Fan ordered. ¡°Xiao Hou is a wind mage and can carry himself over the gap to bridge it with a few ropes. There¡¯s no reason to be discouraged.¡±


    Beside Xiao Hou sat He Yu, who opened her bag and pulled out several lengths of rope to prove Mo Fan¡¯s point.


    Grabbing the rope, Xiao Hou excitedly said, ¡°Alrighty! Leave it to me!¡± before jumping up and tightly tying one end of the ropes to a sturdy tree nearby.


    Picking a fight for whatever reason, Zhou Kun San told Xiao Hou, ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t be happy to have to cross the gap! Stop with the act. Like, it¡¯s whatever if you end up dying¡­but say you fell and became a cripple. That¡¯d be pretty bad, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tempted to tie up the fatty with the ropes, Xiao Hou yelled at him to get lost before confidently moving to the edge of the cliff and gathering his magical energy. He raised his arms at his sides before slowly lowering them, causing green light to flutter and sparkle around him, encasing his body.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Path of wind!¡± He yelled.


    With a powerful leap, Xiao Hou sent himself through the air toward the other side of the gorge, where he quickly landed and tied the other end of the ropes he brought with him. The act had appeared so effortless that his friends couldn¡¯t help but applaud his efforts. He Yu in particular gushing over him.


    ¡°Xiao Hou¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°How was that impressive at all? Any wind magician could do that¡­¡± Zhou Kun San scoffed under his breath.


    With the ropes in place, the other five took turns crossing the gorge, grabbing onto the rope and, one hand at a time, carrying themselves across.


    Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the students, Zhankong and a few others watched Mo Fan and his group¡¯s progress across the gorge from a distance, recording all relevant information, including who complained about their journey and who stayed alert. Of course, when Zhankong told the students days before that they¡¯d be unsupervised, he lied. There was no way they could purposefully endanger the students and expect to get away with it, even if they claimed it was for the students¡¯ own good. He¡¯d also lied when he said all students would pass on the condition that one group or student completed their own mission. The reality was that every student was receiving a score out of ten, affected by a multitude of factors, but mostly by how much the student involved themselves and worked towards completing the mission.


    As for danger, there was none. At least, on the journey. Zhankong and his subordinates had long since cleared the place of dangerous monsters, but to complete their missions, the students had to fight monsters summoned by summoners at the end of their journey. Killing the monsters was likely impossible, because the summons were much stronger than them, but the goal was simply to observe how the students fought, among other things. If a student tried using a group member as a distraction to flee, they¡¯d fail. If a student did their best to defend their group members, they¡¯d pass. Stuff like that.


    ¡­¡­


    Tired and full of sarcasm, He Yu whispered, ¡°Now that we¡¯re past the mountains, it¡¯s time to face the forests¡­yay.¡±


    Walking beside He Yu, Zhou Min laughed. ¡°Earlier you were saying that you were sick of the mountain paths. Shouldn¡¯t this be a nice change of pace?¡±


    ¡°Aha, I was just kidding~¡±


    ¡°HUSH!¡±


    Without warning, Mo Fan, who was at the head of the group, stopped in his tracks and quieted his classmates, eyes focused on a dense cluster of trees and bushes outside of the path.


    ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead¡­¡± He whispered.


    The six group members waited quietly as they moved into formation and readied their magic, prepared to blast whatever popped out of the vegetation.


    Suddenly, Mo Fan felt the casting of a spell from the greenery and responded with his own attack.


    ¡°Fire strike!¡±


    Just in the nick of time, Mo Fan¡¯s fire blast obliterated the incoming ice attack, destroying all plant life in the way and revealing the figures on the other side.


    ¡°¡°It¡¯s you!¡±¡±

 Chapter Twenty

    Chapter Twenty


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 20)


    ¡°Surprising. I didn¡¯t think you guys would survive long enough to get here.¡± Mu Bai scoffed, irritated at the fact that his ice vine had been canceled out by Mo Fan¡¯s fire strike.


    Before Mo Fan could give his own snarky reply, Xiao Hou pointed a finger at Mu Bai. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that damned lapdog of yours slowing us down, we would have reached Herbage Valley ages ago!¡±


    Xu Zhaoting stepped between the three knuckleheads, eyebrows awkwardly furrowed, fearing a physical confrontation between the two groups. ¡°Anyway¡­since we¡¯ve run into each other, why don¡¯t we travel as a single group and work toget-¡±


    ¡°YOUNG MASTER MU BAIIIIIIIIIIIII!¡± From afar, the ¡°lapdog¡± Zhou Kun San came running, arms outstretched, primed and ready for a flying tackle hug. ¡°You¡¯re finally her-¡° Both Mo Fan¡¯s and Mu Bai¡¯s groups idly watched as Zhou Kun San tripped over a vine on his way to them, just barely preventing his face from smashing into the ground. ¡°Young Master Mu Bai!¡± He called again, seemingly unfazed by his accident.


    Then, to everyone¡¯s bewilderment, Zhou Kun San¡¯s body began rising into the air foot-first. The vine he tripped over turning out to be something they didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°He- HELP ME!¡± To no one¡¯s surprise, several snacks fell out from Zhou Kun San¡¯s backpack as he was lifted into the air by the ankle.


    ¡°Mu Bai, let¡¯s not bother with them. The valley is just up ahead.¡± One of Mu Bai¡¯s group members, the one holding their map, ignored the screaming sycophant and suggested they leave. ¡°Let¡¯s get there first so we can secure our grade.¡±


    Mu Bai was clearly put in an awkward place at that moment and hesitated, looking between his group members and his loyal follower. ¡°I¡­¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Yet, before he could make his decision, Xiao Hou grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you doing anything? Help us get him down from the vines!¡± Usually, the rude tone would offend Mu Bai, but at that moment, he couldn¡¯t help but think deeper, asking himself why Xiao Hou cared, why Xiao Hou would look at him so earnestly immediately after telling him off.


    ¡°Stop wasting our time!¡± Mu Bai¡¯s group member yelled at Xiao Hou. ¡°If you aren¡¯t coming, Mu Bai, then we¡¯ll be going first!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what-¡°


    ¡°Gaah! They¡¯re here too?!¡±


    ¡°AGHHH! SAVE ME!¡±


    In a matter of seconds, new vines crept up to Mu Bai¡¯s group members, ensnaring them and flipping their attitudes one hundred eighty degrees.


    ¡°Mu Bai, save us!¡±


    ¡°Young Master Mu Bai!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a team, right?!¡±


    While everyone was shocked at the new development, Zhou Min began blasting away at the vines closing in on her, turning them to dust.


    ¡°Min Min!¡±


    Zhou Min turned around to see He Yu wrapped in vines, thin tears appearing on her skin as the plant tore at her.


    ¡°Xiao Yu! Damn it! Fire-¡°


    ¡°HEY! STOP!¡± Mo Fan stopped Zhou Min from firing her spell at the last second. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash! Your fire could easily end up burning her!¡± Then, he turned to the still-stunned Mu Bai to his left. ¡°Hurry and use your ice to protect everyone!¡±


    It was Mo Fan¡¯s voice which snapped Mu Bai out of it, allowing him to take a good look at his surroundings to gauge the right move. ¡°O-okay! I got it!¡±


    Mu bai extended his arms straight out to his sides with his palms out, concentrating, gathering his magical energy and causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. ¡°Permafrost!¡± A wave of blue exploded outwards from Mu Bai, covering everything in frost, tremendously restricting the vines¡¯ movements. The magical technique also hit his classmates, but they could somewhat resist its effects enough to outlast the vines, which were near frozen and much easier to destroy.


    The rest of the two groups needed no further prompting as they cast their spells, obliterating the slowed vines and freeing the captured students. After everyone was liberated from their living shackles, the vines attempted to retreat but were still too slow to escape the young magicians. They quickly followed the vines to their source, a large stump of plant mass which wriggled as it retrieved its vines. It was soon annihilated.


    From then, no one objected to traveling together seeing as there were, in fact, dangers present in the forest and were heading to the same destination.


    After a while longer, the two groups finally arrived at Herbage Valley¡ªa large, open area of mostly flat land surrounded by cliff walls.


    ¡°Finally¡­ We¡¯re finally here!¡± He Yu immediately sat down and sighed.


    ¡°I suppose this means we¡¯ve completed the task, right?¡± Zhou Kun San laid down face first on the ground, deflating.


    It was then that Mo Fan noticed a peculiar structure in the side of one of the cliff faces¡ªan unnatural-looking cave. Its walls looked as though large chunks of stone were taken out all at once, giving Mo Fan a bad feeling. Yet, before he could call out to his classmates¡­


    ¡°GGGRRRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH¡±

 Chapter Twenty-One

    Chapter Twenty-One


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 21)


    ¡°W-what¡¯s that?!¡±


    A ghastly growl so deep it made the earth tremble resounded within Herbage Valley, frightening the students into jumping to their feet as they realized they wouldn¡¯t get the rest they needed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a monster! There¡¯s a monster nearby!¡±


    Several students shouted in the case that their peers were panicking, hoping to shake them out of it as they eyed their surroundings, looking for the beast. Eventually, more students laid their eyes on the same unnatural formation in the cliff walls and prepped for battle.


    Mo Fan attempted to take control of the situation, commanding, ¡°Classmates! Gather together around Mu Bai! With over ten of us here, even if there were five one-eyed demon wolves we¡¯d have more firepower! Do not panic!¡±


    His words, although not exaggerated in the least, were dependent on if the students could work together efficiently. It was possible for a magician, especially a young amateur one, to mess up and put the lives of their peers in danger. One wrong move and many could die. However, Mo Fan chose not to worry about such a situation because it wasn¡¯t worth the brainpower. He couldn¡¯t anticipate such screw-ups, and even if he could, there wasn¡¯t much he could do to prevent them without being sufficiently more powerful than the mage who messed up.


    Just as the students formed into a unit around Mu Bai like Mo Fan instructed, a figure appeared from the dark burrow in the cliffside. A few students gasped at the sight of the four-meter-long wolf with dark purple and red fur, contemplating a retreat. The beast was horrifying! Its stature alone was enough to make them think twice about fighting it, but that wasn¡¯t the main problem. If the students correctly assessed the energy emanating from the wolf, then¡­it was probably level two!


    However, they were given no time or option to extract themselves from the fight, because, from the entrance to the burrow, the wolf leaped, hurtling in their direction with its fangs bared! The motley group of level one magicians quickly found their footing before casting spells in unison at the wolf, creating a multicolor cloud of magical missiles which struck it with such force that its momentum was canceled and reversed! The beast was sent hurtling backward, unsuccessful in its first attack.


    ¡°Huh¡­maybe it isn¡¯t actually that stro-¡°


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    The dumb student who jinxed himself and his classmates couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence before the wolf recovered and jumped to its feet, eyeing the students with newfound caution.


    ¡°IT¡¯S ACTUALLY LEVEL TWO!¡±


    Seeing the monster shrug off their combined attacks was like a bucket of icy water poured down their backs. If over ten focused attacks could not harm the damn thing, then they had no chance of killing it. One student lost their grip on reality right there, dropping to his knees from shaking too hard. The menacing, blood-thirsty aura the wolf exuded was too much, especially after watching it brush aside an attack that would have obliterated them if the tables were turned.


    ¡°H-h-how could t-the instruc-ctor have us fight this¡­?¡±


    The guy on the floor began mumbling to himself, shakily holding his head with both hands as though the powerful threat facing him would disappear if he ignored it. One of his friends even shook and yelled at him, but he¡¯d lost the stable mind required to cast spells. He was dead weight.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Mo Fan clenched his teeth and grimaced, completely aware of how much strength their combined attacks would lose if more students lost their will to fight. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys! Surely the instructor wouldn¡¯t have made us fight this just to let us die! He and other mages must be watching us to see how we perform!¡± Again, Mo Fan rationalized the situation to his classmates.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    Besides the one who gave up, the students prepared another round of spells to defend against the furry missile of death. Except, this time, the wolf did not simply lunge at the students, instead choosing to take its time with a slow gait, waiting for the students to act first.


    Eventually, as the giant wolf made it within fifty meters of the students, Mo Fan noticed that the giant purple and red wolf¡­had two eyes! It wasn¡¯t a one-eyed demon wolf! Mo Fan wasn¡¯t sure how it mattered, but before he could decide what to do with that information, one of his peers lost their nerve and fired at the wolf.


    Poof. Their lone water spell did nothing useful, merely pushing the wolf a little.


    ¡°Damn! Just fire!¡±


    Another of the students ordered for his peers to attack, thinking that attacking was better than letting the monster walk right up to them.


    ¡°Wai-¡°


    Before Mo Fan could void the command, his classmates began casting, throwing their spells at the beast. Yet, the beast easily dodged those attacks, sidestepping them and switching from its walk to a charge, becoming a beam of light hurtling toward them.


    ¡°ATTACK AS ONE!¡±


    Mo Fan attempted to gather the attention of his peers, but his voice could barely be heard over the sound of the various explosions caused by their attacks striking either the wolf or the ground around it.


    *¡±FUCKING IDIOTS!*¡± Mo Fan raged in his mind. *¡±INDIVIDUAL ATTACKS WON¡¯T DO SHIT, BUT IF WE COULD ATTACK IN UNISON IT¡¯D BE SLOWED DOWN!¡±*


    Fortunately for Mo Fan, he was standing beside Mu Bai, who was also level-headed. ¡°Mo Fan, I¡¯m going to surround it in ice, so don¡¯t screw up! Hit it!¡± He said. Mu Bai¡¯s words were just loud enough for a few others nearby, including Zhou Min, Xiao Hou, and Xu Zhaoting, to hear, who prepared themselves to take advantage of the right moment.


    Twenty meters. When the monster made it within twenty meters of the students, Mu Bai finished casting his spell. He bent down and slammed both hands onto the ground, causing huge icicles to shoot out from his position in the wolf¡¯s direction. When they approached each other, the wolf could not dodge to any direction but up, so it jumped. Up in the air where there was nothing to kick off of, the wolf became an easy target for Mo Fan and his group as they channeled their magical energy and sent a volley of fire, wind, and lightning at it.


    Although their attacks didn¡¯t hold nearly the punch they did when supported by their classmates¡¯, they contained enough force to cancel the wolf¡¯s momentum again, causing it to fall. However, this time, the students managed to stop firing randomly to capitalized on the situation and hit it while it wasn¡¯t moving, constantly staggering it, preventing it from regaining its footing.


    *¡±We¡¯ve bought ourselves a few seconds, but we¡¯ll eventually run out of magical energy or mess up again. We need to get out of this situation! If only there were...*¡±


    Then, Mo Fan found the solution to their problem!

 Chapter Twenty-Two

    Chapter Twenty-Two


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 22)


    ¡°GUYS! THAT WAY!¡± Mo Fan noticed a thin stairwell of stone cut into a cliffside and cast a fire strike in its direction to reveal its presence to his classmates. After confirming that most of his peers became aware of the stone stairs, he gave his orders. ¡°MAINTAIN THE SAME RHYTHM OF SPELLS WHILE HEADING TOWARD THE STAIRS!¡±


    A few more seconds passed as the students passed the orders along to those on the outer edge of the group and Zhou Kun San lifted the one student who collapsed, placing him over his shoulder. Then, Mo Fan yelled, ¡°MOVE!¡±


    Now with a plan, the students didn¡¯t feel so much dread. If they managed to keep the giant wolf at bay long enough to travel the few hundred meters to the stairs, then they would be safe, protected by the cliff walls for at least enough time to refill on magical energy.


    ¡­¡­


    It was only a few minutes, but they were grueling minutes. Most of the students from Mu Bai¡¯s group were near depleted of magical energy from having cast so many spells. That itself wasn¡¯t surprising, because although the members of their class were the top of their grade, they were still only level one, and thus limited in energy.


    Similarly, Mo Fan¡¯s group were nearing depletion, but weren¡¯t as close to it. Their group was made up of the top of their class, which were already the top of their grade. Such talents were nearing the second level and had larger magical energy reserves than their peers.


    ¡°This can¡¯t go on much longer! We¡¯re nearly out of magical energy! We have to take a risk!¡± One of Mu Bai¡¯s group members got the attention of the other students and gave his idea. ¡°We¡¯re within sprinting distance of the stairs, so if we time our attacks just right, we can run, then turn around to attack, and repeat the pattern! This slow walk won¡¯t do!¡±


    After the few minutes of making their way to the stone stairs, the monster attacking them also began to grow tired and hadn¡¯t put too much effort into its attacks, seemingly waiting for the students to mess up again. Thus, the students weren¡¯t attacking so frequently that the explosions would drown out their conversations.


    After hearing the student¡¯s proposal, everyone turned toward Mo Fan, even Mu Bai. They waited for him to make the decision, turning every few tens of seconds to send another volley of magical attacks at the beast. The pressure from their stares was almost enough to make Mo Fan nervous. Almost.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I say we go for it!¡± Mo Fan quadruple-checked that the distance between them and the stairs wasn¡¯t too much. ¡°On the count of three, turn around and sprint for the stairs. When you do, count two seconds, then turn around and fire at the wolf. We¡¯ll repeat the process until we make it to the stairs. If the wolf gets too close, use a movement spell to boost your speed. Any objections?¡±


    A few moments of silence passed and not even Mu Bai protested. Though, Mo Fan suspected Mu Bai was trying to come up with any way to oppose his authority.


    ¡°Okay! One¡­two¡­THREE!¡±


    At the final number, the students turned on their heels and made a break for the stairs, causing the giant wolf to raise its head in alarm, seeing as the humans it was attacking had seemingly found a path to escape it.


    ¡°AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH¡±


    The beast bared its fangs and sprang into action, bolting at its full speed, unwilling to allow the victims to flee. Then, when it made it within twenty meters of its prey, they turned around and launched another volley of magic, striking the beast and pushing it back, then returned to their sprint. The wolf became enraged and resumed its chase, but the same thing happened. Again, and again.


    *¡±At this pace, we¡¯ll really make it!¡±* Mo Fan internally celebrated at their progress, daring to flash a devilish smile, even under the circumstances.


    Then, karma bit him in the ass.


    ¡°We-we¡¯re out of magical energy!¡±


    Mo Fan looked to see that a few of his peers were struggling to continue running, being affected by the backlash which came from emptying one¡¯s magical energy reserves.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s fine! Just keep running! The rest of us can still keep it at b-¡°


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    Mo Fan was suddenly interrupted by a familiar cry of pain¡ªZhou Kun San tripped while carrying the incapacitated classmate.


    ¡°NO!¡± Mo Fan shouted. He immediately came to a stop and changed the plan. ¡°IF YA DON¡¯T HAVE ENERGY, RUN! IF YOU DO, FIGHT!¡±


    The short command was all he could get out before the monster was back on their tail, bounding toward them. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have to tell his classmates anything else before they jumped to action, Mu Bai blocking the wolf¡¯s path with ice and Xiao Hou making use of a movement spell to make himself just slightly faster than the wolf and preparing to distract it.


    Zhou Min assisted Zhou Kun San in rising before sending him on his way again toward the stairs, then joining Mo Fan and the others.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys! We can still make it!¡± Xiao Hou reassured. ¡°I¡¯m fast enough to dodge its attacks, so I¡¯ll be the bait while you guys run! As soon as you guys get close enough to the stairs, cover me with long-range spells!¡±


    Before anyone could raise an objection to his nigh-suicidal plan, the wolf made it past the ice obstacles and Xiao Hou shot a wind blade to catch its attention.


    ¡°GO!¡± He roared.


    Everyone stood in shock for a few seconds as Xiao Hou kept his word, nearing the wolf and dodging its paw swipes by only a few centimeters, completely keeping its attention on himself.


    ¡°He¡¯s really doing it¡­guess the monster isn¡¯t a speed type.¡±


    ¡°While it¡¯s distracted, go!¡±


    Xiao Hou¡¯s classmates didn¡¯t hesitate too long before they began running again, this time, with magically enhanced speed.


    ¡°Mo Fan, what are-¡° Xiao Hou dodged a paw, ¡°doing?!¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯d leave you behind!¡±


    *¡±I¡¯m also a lightning mage! In the worst-case scenario, I¡¯ll just reveal myself. After all, I won¡¯t be THAT much slower than Xiao Hou if I use lightning.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Hou, they made it! Now let¡¯s escape, too!¡±


    It hadn¡¯t been long, but everyone else except the two of them made it to the stone stairs. All they had to do n-


    ¡°Oooooggghh!¡±


    The wolf landed a hit on Xiao Hou, creating a horrifying crunch sound and sending his body flying.

 Chapter Twenty-Three

    Chapter Twenty-Three


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 23)


    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± Mo Fan screamed, instinctively casting spells around him to catch the attention of the beast as it chased Xiao Hou¡¯s broken body to where it shot him.


    Yet, by the grace of the Heavens, Xiao Hou landed just in front of the stone stairwell, where his friends dragged him to safety.


    Its target lost, the giant wolf turned back to Mo Fan, who¡¯d begun running to the stairwell as soon as Xiao Hou was safe.


    ¡°RRAAAAAAARRGGHHHH¡± The beast bellowed, pouncing toward Mo Fan. Yet, meeting it in the air were three full power fireballs which he prepared while it was distracted, but cost him nearly all of his magical energy, the rest of which he used to cast a speed-enhancing spell.


    To the wolf¡¯s and Mo Fan¡¯s surprise, his attacks had been the straw to break the camel¡¯s back, as one of the monster¡¯s front paws which had been struck broke. When the beast landed some ways away, it took too long whimpering and stumbling to gather its balance to catch up to Mo Fan, who made it to the stair well and immediately collapsed into a meditation posture on the steps.


    Seeing how it had lost all of its prey without capturing any, the beast howled in rage before awkwardly stumbling out of view from the stairwell entrance.


    In the stairwell, Xu Zhaoting lifted the meditating Mo Fan to place him farther up the stairs in case the demonic wolf came back to dig its way in.


    ¡°Everyone! The beast can¡¯t reach us because the walls are too narrow, but we¡¯ll eventually need to head up toward the surface to escape! Follow Mo Fan¡¯s example and enter meditation! We¡¯ll need all the magical energy we can get!¡±


    After speaking, Xu Zhaoting didn¡¯t bother waiting for everyone to follow his orders before sitting down in the lotus position to refine magical energy.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with you there!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Others agreed, entering meditation.


    ¡­¡­


    As soon as Mo Fan entered the stone stairwell, he fell to the hard ground beneath him, exhausted and out of magical energy. However, instead of meditating like everyone thought he was doing, Mo Fan first entered his soul realm.


    *¡±After this intense battle, surely I¡¯ll be able to break through to the next level!¡±*


    Mo Fan looked upon his star clusters, which glowed as though filled with LED lights.


    *¡±Yes! This is it!¡±*


    Having confirmed that his odds of leveling up were through the roof, Mo Fan began his meditation, but fed the magical energy to his star cluster rather than store it for use¡ªsomething he would not have done in such a precarious situation had he not been sure of what was to come from it.


    ¡­¡­


    It had been just a few minutes since they entered the stone stairwell that became their safe zone, but a few students were awakened from meditation by abnormal sounds.


    ¡°What¡¯s that damned-¡°


    The student who began complaining froze mid-sentence at the sight of the giant demonic wolf overhead attempting to dig through the solid stone of the cliff walls to widen the gap¡­ And it was making progress.


    ¡°DAMN IT! EVERYONE, GET UP!¡±


    A few students screamed at the sight of the ferocious monster and hastily prepared attack spells.


    ¡°COOL IT!¡±


    Mo Fan shouted, rising from his meditation.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to worry about! Just sit down and meditate to refill on magical energy. I¡¯ll make it leave.¡±


    Despite Mo Fan¡¯s assurance, few calmed down.


    ¡°Oh? And what are going to do about it, Mo Fan?¡± Mu Bai scoffed. ¡°It was focusing on attacking and chasing us earlier, which is why we could even damage it at all! Now that we¡¯re trapped, and Xiao Hou is injured, it can focus on whittling away at the walls while avoiding damage! Unless a professor or combat instructor arrives, our chances of living through this are minimal!¡±


    Irritated, Mo Fan clapped back, ¡°Jeez, Mu Bai! Shut up with the doom and gloom! I already said that this is likely part of the test!¡± He glanced at Xiao Hou, who was cradling his ribs in the fetal position a few steps from where he stood. ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll carry Xiao Hou myself.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Mu Bai to respond, Mo Fan lifted an open palm to the monster digging at the cliff walls above.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°How could this be?!¡±


    ¡°Already?!¡±


    To his classmates¡¯ collective shock, Mo Fan blasted a fireball directly at the wolf¡¯s snout, burning through its flesh, causing it to howl and retreat.


    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s already level two?!¡± Mu Bai growled through his teeth.


    ¡­¡­


    Watching the groups who¡¯d made it to Herbage Valley¡­


    ¡°Boss! A fire-element student at level two! Can you believe it?! Wow, that is some talent! Why don¡¯t we just call an end to this exercise? No point in it if there¡¯s a level two mage.¡±


    Zhankong nodded to his subordinate. ¡°I suppose. This exercise was only supposed to judge how the students would react to an overwhelming force.¡± Then turned to Baiyang, the subordinate who¡¯d summoned the wolf.


    However, when Zhankong saw Baiyang¡¯s expression¡­ ¡°What is it? Speak!¡±


    Baiyang¡¯s lips trembled as he stumbled over his words.


    ¡°B-boss! The connection, it¡­my connection to my contracted being was cut! I can¡¯t feel it anymore!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Four

    Chapter Twenty-Four


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 24)


    *¡±I had no idea that the difference in power between the first two levels could be so great! This feels¡­wonderful!¡±


    Ignoring the gasps of shock and awe, Mo Fan looked down at the hand he¡¯d used to burn the giant wolf, almost unsure of his own capabilities.


    *¡±Are all the power differences this large between levels? It¡¯s no wonder we had to rely on impeding the wolf¡¯s movements rather than injuring it. It was so much more powerful from the beginning at just level two! This adds to my hypothesis that this is a test, because it could probably have killed us without much trouble earlier.¡±*


    Finished contemplating the nature of magic and his group test, Mo Fan turned to his classmates and motioned for them to stop yapping so that he could speak.


    ¡°Quiet, please! As you all saw, I¡¯m now level two. However¡­that doesn¡¯t guarantee our safety. In the slim chance that this isn¡¯t part of our test, we¡¯re still not ready to take that beast on without losses on our end.¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s harsh tone easily got the point across to his peers, who carefully listened when he spoke, hopeful that he had a plan.


    ¡°I have a plan.¡±


    Smiles bloomed on the students¡¯ faces.


    ¡°But we still suffer from many disadvantages.¡±


    The smiles quickly fell apart.


    ¡°Despite my magic being at level two and being able to injure the wolf, my spells consume quite a lot of magical energy, which will require us to stay trapped here for a while because my stores of energy now take longer to fill¡­which I definitely don¡¯t have time for. Since that monster¡¯s entire body is as strong as my spells, it can still take the time to attack us while I¡¯m trying to recoup on enough energy to attack it. I¡¯m not sure whether we can win that battle of attrition. Especially because¡­¡±


    The boy turned to the top of the stone staircase, where a large pile of rubble blocked the exit. The beast had trapped them in the stairwell.


    ¡°Since the wolf blocked our way out of this valley, we can only find another way to flee.¡±


    Frightened murmurs and whispers spawned from the students as they recalled how much trouble they had just getting to the stone stairs, before Mo Fan silenced them again.


    ¡°Quiet! This is the only way! I could take the time to blast apart those rocks, but not only would my attacks affect all of you due to our close proximity, but I¡¯d expend a lot of energy doing so! If the wolf attacked during that window of opportunity, it¡¯d be completely up to you all to hold it off!¡±


    Unable to argue with his point, and unwilling to face off against the monster again, everyone quieted down.


    ¡°Had the exit not been blocked, we could have lured the wolf into the bottom of the valley before escaping to the top through the stairs, forcing the beast to have to take the long route around again before it could resume its attack. That would have given us time to find somewhere else more advantageous for us to fight it, or to hide altogether. But now, that option is closed off to us.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ears perked up as Mo Fan¡¯s classmates impatiently waited for him to get to his grand plan.


    ¡°That being the case, I will fight it alone.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡°¡°Lost control?!¡±¡±¡±


    Zhankong and his officers asked at once.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know!¡± Baiyang stuttered. ¡°I-I m-mean, I know t-that I lost my connection t-to it, but I c-can¡¯t be sure how!¡±


    The man¡¯s lack of control over his own voice added to his claim.


    ¡°Damn it, Baiyang!¡± Zhankong roared. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later, but fo-¡°


    Quickly cutting in with an urgent tone, one of Zhankong¡¯s men, whose face was to a pair of binoculars, called for his attention.


    ¡°Boss! One of the students suddenly left the passageway and reentered Herbage Valley! I think it was the level two student, but surely he can¡¯t fight off Baiyang¡¯s summoned monster alone in his current state!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    His long hair flowing in the wind, Zhankong quickly darted to the edge of the cliff he and his men watched the students from.


    ¡°I¡¯m going first. Baiyang, assemble a squad to follow after me ASAP! And notify the medical team to be on standby!¡±


    Then, Zhankong jumped. Yet, rather than plummeting to his doom, the man confidently met the sky with determination in his eyes as a pair of large eagle¡¯s wings sprouted from his back, catching the wind and lifting him upwards.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°NO!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    Four voices raised protests at once.


    ¡°Mo Fan, y-you can¡¯t¡­¡± The weakest voice continued, coming from Xiao Hou who was laid against one of the stairwell¡¯s walls and tried to sit up. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, no need to push yourself.¡± He Yu said, putting a hand on Xiao Hou chest to stop him from moving.


    ¡°Xiao Hou¡¯s right, Mo Fan!¡± Zhou Min shouted, pointed to the injured wind mage. ¡°Like you just said, you don¡¯t have the time to reach your top shape. Going out there alone would be suicide even if it¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m siding with Zhou Min, here.¡± Xu Zhaoting agreed. ¡°You¡¯ll just get yourself killed. Worst case scenario, I don¡¯t mind putting myself on the line to get you as much time as you need to refill on magical energy.¡±


    Mo Fan was about to interject when Mu Bai stood up, his arms folded in front of his chest and a sneer on his face.


    ¡°Even assuming you don¡¯t try to run off with your new level two speed, if you uselessly die out there, our chances of survival plummet.¡±


    Happy that his friends cared about him and irritated at Mu Bai, Mo Fan waved a hand dismissively.


    ¡°I¡¯m going regardless of whether you all agree, because on the way to this point, I saw a cave I could hold my last stand in. I have confidence that I¡¯ll win this and I don¡¯t have much time to explain.¡±


    The boy ignored the protests of his classmates as he stood up and walked down the stone stairs, keeping his senses wide open in search of the wolf. It seemed to be watching from afar.


    ¡°Mo Fan! Don¡¯t be arrogant and stupid!¡±


    ¡°We have more options, Mo Fan!¡±


    Then, he slipped away, casting a level two speed spell that made him faster than even Xiao Hou.


    ¡°¡°¡°That idiot!¡±¡±¡±


    Racing back to where he saw the cave, Mo Fan wiped away a few drops of sweat.


    *¡±Lying so convincingly like that was quite difficult.¡±*


    Indeed, Mo Fan had spilled a barrel of his lies to his friends with a straight face. Firstly, the ratio of mana he processed to the mana he expended in spells wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as he made it out to be, both because of his natural talent and the pendant hanging around his neck.


    Secondly, blasting apart the rubble blocking the top of the stairway without injuring his peers would not be very difficult when taking into consideration how spacious the stairwell actually was. Mo Fan knew that his classmates understood as much and wanted to add onto that the ¡°fact¡± that because he just leveled up, he couldn¡¯t control his spells¡¯ power very well, yet none of them brought the matter up, resulting in one less lie.


    ¡°And the last lie¡­¡± Mo Fan thought to himself as the large cave came into view. ¡°Was that I wanted to kill the beast to protect them, because it is clearly being controlled for the purposes of the test.¡±


    The boy left behind a flash of red light as he finally entered the huge cavern, taking in the sight of the sprawling mountain cavity and all its glory. The entire cave even faintly sparkled blue.


    ¡°In reality, I will kill the beast to obtain its soul essence for the sake of my pendant.¡±


    A roar resounded from outside the cave, shaking its walls slightly. The wolf had caught up faster than Mo Fan expected, confirming to him that the monster had also been limiting its speed.


    The boy sneered at his adversary¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°But most importantly, killing it will be revenge for Xiao Hou¡¯s severe injuries.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Five

    Chapter Twenty-Five


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 25)


    Eyes glowing with hatred, the magical beast sauntered into the wide cave it thought Mo Fan had trapped himself within. Oozing out an aura of confidence and malice with its strut, the demonic wolf faced the human who had just stepped onto the same level as it.


    Being met with such a sight, Mo Fan merely scoffed at it.


    ¡°Soon enough, you¡¯ll be nothing more than a stepping stone on my path of greatness¡ªa fur coat to collect dust in my closet.¡±


    Mo Fan was not completely sure of whether the beast could understand human speech, but in the moment he sneered at it, it seemed to get the message. The monster roared, shaking the walls with its mighty lungs before kicking off the ground and pouncing at him.


    ¡°On second thought,¡± the boy said, ignoring the incoming magical creature and putting a finger to his chin in mock contemplation, ¡°the rangers here probably won¡¯t let me keep your skin, given the fact that you¡¯re a summ-¡°


    The second before the wolf sunk its claws into his torso, Mo Fan twisted his upper body and pointed a finger gun at the beast¡¯s exposed side.


    ¡°Rising Fire¡ªFlames of Death.¡±


    A column of fire was born, scorching the wolf¡¯s fur, skin, and muscles as it sailed overhead, having missed its initial charge. It may have stopped limiting its speed, but so did Mo Fan. Crackles and high-pitched whines screamed from below Mo Fan as purple lightning engulfed and encased his legs.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The gigantic wolf landed some ways away with a limp, but ignored its injuries in its pursuit of Mo Fan, whose smile shone brighter and more sinister than his spells.


    ¡°Lightning Seal¡ªCoiling Stars!¡±


    Adrenaline coursed through the boy as he relished in the exhilaration that came with finally being able to use his secret lightning magic in mortal combat. It had taken quite a bit of restraint on Mo Fan¡¯s part to not reveal his amazing secret, even if he already appeared to be a genius to the outside world. After all, to have both of the most destructive elements when many people would kill just to have one of them? And to be in possession of both when everyone else his level was limited to only a single element?


    The magical beast he faced was the perfect outlet for the frustration that built up from being unable to show the world his unrivaled talent!


    ¡°HHHRRRRAAAAAGGHHHH¡±


    The creature howled in rage and pain as the lightning shooting from Mo Fan¡¯s palm coiled around its form, burning and paralyzing its muscles some. Even after the spell¡¯s short duration ended, the beast¡¯s muscles spasmed as it attempted to push its ruined body toward its prey, who fell to floor and gasped for air.


    *¡±Damn¡­I underestimated how much these level two lightning spells cost. Better make the most of what little I have left!¡±*


    The student, despite his precarious situation, laughed in the face of danger and at himself for putting too much magical power into the Coiling Stars. Then, after a few deep breaths, he swallowed his nausea and stood atop his wobbly legs.


    ¡°Rising Fire¡ªFlames of Death!¡±


    Mo Fan shouted, then stumbled. His shower of flames shot just in front of the magical beast, burning its nose and sending it reeling back in pain. After a few moments, it refocused on its target and continued lumbering forward, its control over its own legs slowly returning.


    Mo Fan could almost swear that the wolf formed a smirk as its putrid slobber slipped by its lips and splashed onto the cold, stone floor.


    Then, he chuckled.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I missed, did you?¡±


    With the edges of his lips curling upwards, Mo Fan watched the results of his Flames of Death in triumph.


    Humongous stalactites, collectively larger than the gigantic demonic wolf itself, rained down in a shower of spiky death.

 Chapter Twenty-Six

    Chapter Twenty-Six


    (Correlated with the manhua¡¯s chapter 26)


    The many stalactites, in their shower of spiky death, caused violent gusts as they fell atop and pierced the demonic wolf, before shattering in a deafening explosion of dust and debris.


    Mo Fan, who had wisely covered his face with his arms, hacked and coughed as the rock particles overwhelmed him, clouding his view. The boy was so distracted that he almost missed the glowing blue light that shot at him from where the wolf was crushed. Almost.


    *WHOA!* He thought, trying to summon the few dregs of magic power left within himself to cast a spell. Yet, the light was too fast, and¡­passed right through him.


    *No, wait¡­that was¡­!*


    Mo Fan inhaled sharply at the realization¡ªand subsequently coughed more¡ªbefore struggling to force himself to rise. After a few moments, he managed to stand on his feeble, wobbly legs, and take a few tentative steps forward.


    The student covered his mouth and nose with his shirt, using it to filter the dust as he breathed, and approached where he thought the magical beast would be lying.


    *It was as I thought: the light was the soul essence.*


    Mo Fan turned away from the corpse-less pile of stalactite remains to look at the pendant hanging around his neck.


    *And the treasure Old Man Ying gave me automatically absorbed it before the body disappeared.*


    He looked up at the pile of rocks again.


    ¡°And that confirms my hypothesis that the wolf was a summon. It¡¯s just such a shame that summoned creatures¡¯ bodies return to the realms they were pulled from.¡±


    The boy sighed, thinking of all the money he could earn by selling magical beast parts and soul essences if he later gained the summoning element. Then again, every summoner would be able to do the same thing and the market would quickly become saturated.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right, son!¡±


    Mo Fan jumped, surprised by the deep voice booming from behind him. Then, he fell, exhausted.


    ¡°S-sir, please don¡¯t surprise me like that.¡± He whined, looking up at Zhankong, who also seemed out of breath as his chest heaved.


    ¡°Surprise YOU? Boy, I¡ª¡± The buff man swept his long hair off his face as he took a moment to breathe. ¡°I came to assist you as quickly as I could, but the beast is nowhere to be seen. You killed it?¡±


    Too tired to speak, Mo Fan simply pointed at the giant pile of rubble, which Zhankong approached. He stopped at the base of the rocks, inspecting the area. Then, he looked up at the ceiling of the cave with a smile, looked back at Mo Fan, and nodded.


    ¡°The bloodstains everywhere, the jagged bases of missing stalactites above us¡ªsplendid job. I¡¯m glad the world didn¡¯t lose such a talented mage as you, and that you managed to best the level two beast so soon after reaching its level. But, more importantly¡­¡±


    The man walked toward Mo Fan, stopped with two meters between them, and bowed from the waist.


    ¡°I must deeply apologize for this incident. One of my men summoned the beast for your test, as you already figured out, but the connection between the two was cut. We don¡¯t know how it occurred, but a full investigation will commence and the perpetrators of the incident will be heavily punished.¡±


    Mo Fan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change upon receiving the news.


    ¡°I thought as much. I doubted there was a reason for you to kill us and make so many enemies.¡±


    *But there are reasons for enemies of the state, like the Dark Vatican to kill off some aspiring mages while painting the event like an accident.*


    ¡°Raise your head, sir. It wasn¡¯t your fault, thus I hold no grudge.¡±


    Zhankong obliged, and sighed.


    ¡°I am grateful you see it that way, Mo Fan. Now, it¡¯s time we h¡ª¡±


    Xiao Hou chose that moment to enter the cave with a flash of green light, appearing by Mo Fan¡¯s side with an expression somehow conveying both relief and anger.


    ¡°Brother Fan! How could you?! You could have died! If it weren¡¯t for Zhankong¡ª¡±


    Mo Fan straightened his fingers to form a blade hand and sent it chopping down on his best friend¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡±


    The adorable wind mage clutched his skull with a confused pout.


    ¡°Zhankong didn¡¯t do anything here; I¡ª¡° he stretched out the word, ¡±killed the beast! Trust my judgement a little more, will ya?!¡±


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I¡¯m cutting off the chapter here. Read the next post to see why.

 This is the end.

    I began writing Versatile Mage Rewritten soon after discovering my latent talents in writing as a method of forcing myself to practice writing for the sake of writing. That was a while ago, and this¡­it¡¯s not really a ¡°novel¡±, so I¡¯ll label it fanfiction for now. This fanfiction has since become obsolete. I no longer require the external pressure of a few readers liking what I write to assist my writing endeavors (though it¡¯s still useful) and frankly¡­I dislike writing this.


    Ya see, when I began writing Versatile Mage Rewritten, I hadn¡¯t fully developed my ability to think up a complicated, entertaining story¡ªand still haven¡¯t, but am way better now¡ªand that reflected in how I wrote this fanfiction. I didn¡¯t change much, simply trying to close the gaping plot holes that I deigned to fall into. But now, it¡¯s just¡­ ??, because the extent to which I am able to use the Versatile Mage setting and characters has far outgrown the actual story (at least, the manhua¡¯s story) and continuing to add the Rewritten version with those skills without fully rewriting the previous 20+ chapters just doesn¡¯t sit well with me¡­but I also don¡¯t want to rewrite it at all.


    I have more responsibilities now than I did a year ago, and besides having to put aside time to write for this fanfiction being a problem, it just doesn¡¯t inspire me. I have my ACTUAL novels to work on, among other things, and am thus fully stopping the production of this fanfiction.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I know this work has some fans, as there are currently 86 (Wow, that¡¯s a lot) collections on Webnovel and 32 followers on Royal Road, but trust me when I say¡­this ¡°fanfiction¡± is shit. At least, when compared to my best stuff¡ªwhich takes a lot more time to write and I won¡¯t reveal until I have a TON of it written (or if enough people beg). So, please, although there isn¡¯t nearly as much wish fulfillment, check out the work that actually challenges me¡ªJourney of 365 Days. There, where I write for one creative writing prompt that I found on a website for each post, I am actually putting in a good amount of effort into writing well, rather than just¡­narrating what happened in a manhua while only changing some things to make the setting more consistent. Even if it¡¯s not your cup of tea, there (and Twitter) is where I¡¯ll announce the REAL novel I¡¯ll upload once I write enough of it.


    Plus, even if you end up not enjoying most of the posts, you¡¯ll definitely like some of them; there¡¯s a wide variety of genres and styles. And if you DO go there, please gimme your thoughts in the comments! Those help a lot <3

 ANNOUNCEMENT!

    Firstly, I''ve noticed that several people have followed Versatile Mage Rewritten since I announced that I wouldn''t update it, and I think that''s a little funny.


    Secondly, no, I''m not going to update it. Maybe sometime in the future once I''ve gotten much better at writing I''ll take the setting of Versatile Mage and make a better story out of it, but I don''t have any plans to do so.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Thirdly, THIS IS THE ANNOUNCEMENT: I''ve begun uploading one of the novels I''m serious about. It''s called Dark Seas Leading Demise. GO READ IT! I''m putting a lot more effort into writing good prose and a compelling plot for it than I did for Versatile Mage Rewritten.